


To Befriend a Fire Goddess and Co

by ThisIsLen



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-05-07 07:44:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5448758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsLen/pseuds/ThisIsLen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where Rei, Tsuna, and Gokudera bond over daddy issues, Minako and Mukuro are banned from seeing each other, Makoto becomes the master of comfort food, and Setsuna and Reborn plot way, way too much.<br/>Tsuna just sees it as the time he was getting too accustomed to the chaotic mess that was his life and the world decided to throw him a curveball. A curveball with multi-colored short skirts that is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Senator's Daughter

Rei Hino was not having a good time.

Tsuna could tell she was different even without his Hyper Intuition. Maybe it was the way her stiff smile lacked the sugary manipulative quality other party guest had. Maybe it was the way her gaze sharpened and became wary when her own father came close, rather than the predators looking to use her. Maybe it was even the way she seemed to look down at all the people fawning towards her.

Or perhaps it was just the raw power he could sense radiating beneath her carefully constructed exterior. There was obviously more to Rei Hino than the beautiful politician's daughter, unlike her father's suave persona that was a dime a dozen.

Tsuna sighed and rubbed his forehead when he finally got a breather from the constant flux of conversation and hidden words. He longingly stared at the balcony and wondered if he could sneak away and call Kyoko. His hope was dashed by the call of his name from another politician, this one a slightly chubby man with a greasy smile. At least Gokudera was by his side.

After dealing with the man, Tsuna scanned the room again, stopping his gaze once again on Rei Hino as she snuck onto the balcony he had been hoping to run to earlier. Gokudera followed his stare and raised a brow.

"The Senator's daughter?" He questioned Tsuna, his brow furrowed slightly as he thought of all the information he had read about the party guests prior to the party. Tsuna rubbed the back of his head and gave a sheepish laugh.

"She just caught my eye earlier." He responded, not really sure how to explain his suspicions clearly.

"What's Kyoko going to think if she hears you talking about other woman like that?" Tsuna felt his body slightly pulled forward as a familiar arm wrapped around his shoulders and the grinning face of his Rain Guardian appeared. Gokudera scowled at Yamamoto's nonchalant behavior as Tsuna began sputtering.

"Yamamoto! It's not like-I didn't mean-Don't tell Kyoko!"

"Don't worry, Tsuna. Your secrets safe with me!"

"Sword-freak, stop embarrassing the Tenth! And get your arm off him!" Gokudera barked as Tsuna sighed, before realizing he was now by the balcony. He looked questioningly at Yamamoto who shrugged with a smile still on his face.

"I assumed you wanted to talk to her, since you seemed to be so interested in her." Yamamoto grinned at Tsuna, before letting go of his shoulders and turning to another hopeful daughter of some official hoping to get it good with the Vongola through the friendly Rain Guardian. Gokudera just huffed and glared at the Japanese mans retreating form as he lead the newest girl to the dance floor.

Tsuna stepped outside, ignoring Gokudera's irate ramblings as he finally took a breath of fresh air. The party was stressful, one of the first of many as the Ninth was trying to integrate Tsuna into the Mafia World as his heir. Though Gokudera was most likely more nervous than him, as the man continuously researched about each party guest to ensure there would be no surprises for the Tenth. Tsuna idly wondered how long this was going to last or if he would have to deal with Gokudera's overly cautious behavior during his time as the Vongola head before his gaze finally landed on the stiff form of Rei Hino.

Tsuna felt himself wilt a little bit under her intense stare, unsurprised that she did not react with the usual glee at being alone with the Vongola heir and his right hand man. Instead, her face seemed to tighten, as if it was his fault she was suffering here.

"Hello Hino-san. Are you enjoying yourself tonight?" Obviously she was not, but Tsuna didn't really know how to approach her, so he fell back into his usual role of cheerful heir.

"Of course, it's hard not to enjoy myself around my father and his lovely associates." Even the most air-headed of daughters could have seen past her bright voice and the sarcasm that coated each of her words. Tsuna suppressed a chuckle and decided the blunt road might be best.

"Not a fan of your father, I presume?" Tsuna replied, keeping his voice level and friendly.

He studied her blank face as she studied him in return. Her eyes narrowed briefly before her lips curved up into a small smirk.

"My, aren't you the most astute one, Vongola Decimo." This time it was her turn to wait for his reaction. He kept himself perfectly still, though he felt Gokudera tense next to him. The silver-haired man kept his mouth shut and trusted his leader to handle this, able to restrain the knee-jerk reaction to follow his emotions and act before thinking as he had done sometimes in his youth.

"I wasn't aware my title was so known." Tsuna replied honestly. He truthfully believed Senator Hino and his daughter would be unaware of who he truly is. Most politician's did not care for the underlings of mafia families. They only cared for the man who was in charge, dismissing Tsuna as soon as they saw his youthful face and polite manner. Though Tsuna admitted to himself that he shouldn't have been surprised. He was the heir of the most powerful mafia family and many politicians, dirty or not, would be smart enough to remember that fact. Senator Hino however, was just now getting his foot into the mafia world.

"I learn many interesting things from my father and his activities." From her tone, she did not seem to care for the things her father participated in, though she kept her face neutral as she steadily kept her eyes on Tsuna's face.

"Many politicians desire to engage in those activities. However, I assure you that the Vongola does not partake in those activities like your father. The Ninth and I are... not interested you could say." Tsuna once again studied her face, wondering how she would take it. She had not seemed to judge him before for being in the mafia, but people could always be deceiving. For some reason, Tsuna felt compelled to at least show her that the Vongola was different, despite the fact that her opinion would have no effect on the Vongola.

For the first time that night, Rei Hino smiled genuinely. It was small, it was brief, but it softened her face. Tsuna returned the smile, feeling once again that Rei Hino was different. He briefly wondered how the Senator's daughter would affect his life now that he had gained a small bit of acceptance from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it and decide to stick around with my lazy ass for other updates.  
> I honestly have no idea how long this will be, but I'm definitely going to finish it. Updates may be slow, especially since I'm in college, but I'll try to update when I can.  
> Anyway, feel free to leave a comment. Enjoy! :)


	2. Comfort Thy Name is Makoto

Rei Hino is smart.

She did not think that with the superiority of those with book smarts, especially since she knew she could never compete with Ami, though the shy genius lacked any sort of notion of supremacy. Nor did she think it with those with social smarts, of those able to outmaneuver others with wit or even those who used it to manipulate and crush those less fortunate. Rei would prefer to leave the social aspects to Minako, who could seemingly turn any situation into her favor, or Usagi, who could wring the world around her finger with simple kind words. No, Rei Hino knows she is smart because she grew up with the pain of a too short childhood and knows how to handle the world, especially its darker aspects, in a way many had yet to achieve. Although sometimes even she was less than graceful about it, though she would never admit it around anyone. Especially around Minako.

Rei Hino knows she is smart because she knows Makoto is the one person people should usually go to when something goes wrong in their life. Though Rei rarely admits weakness, it is easy to obtain comfort from Makoto without having to say a word. While Minako would curse her father with such vigor it would make a sailor blush, Ami would attempt to distract her, and Usagi would hold her and cry, Makoto could seemingly do all those things like she was born for the role of a mother hen. Rei supposed it had to do with a lack of family and friends that made the tall girl want to comfort anyone and shelter them from the harsher parts of the world, especially now that Makoto actually had friends who would appreciate her good intentions and whom Makoto loved deeply in return. Her desire to protect and nurture was a part of Makoto's personality that Rei would always be thankful for. She would never admit to this though. Especially around Minako.

Rei did not bother changing, requesting her father's second chauffeur to drop her off by Makoto's apartment. She didn't even feel sadness at the fact that her father did not even bother to ride her home anymore, knowing it was most likely her temperamental personality that drove him off and feeling thankful for her sometimes nasty temper. It was something she was used to, but she knew what real family felt like and had been able to fill the hole he left wide open, no longer seeking comfort she thought only a father could provide.

She tapped her foot on the floor as she waited in the elevator, ignoring the curious glances she got from those around her. She let out a small sigh of relief when she finally reached Makoto's door, quick to knock briskly on the door. She smiled fondly when she heard her friend shout from within and the sound of her hurried steps towards the door, along with a crash and a small yelp of pain. She snickered when Makoto opened the door, rubbing her leg with a small scowl on her face. Though the frown wiped off her face and gave way to surprise as Makoto stared wide eyed at Rei and her formal attire.

"Rei? What are you doing here so late? Not that I'm not flattered you dressed up to see me, but shouldn't you be asleep by now?" Makoto asked, a small smile growing on her face. Rei rolled her eyes, shoving the other girl playfully as she stalked inside.

"My father requested my attendance at some party so he could look like the doting father and make an impression on the bigwigs." Rei shrugged, not feeling so much pain at the words as she would have years ago, but Makoto's face scrunched up with concern as the tall girl tried to keep the anger off her face.

"Well uhh... You look great at least. I'm sure all the guys were trailing after you again." Makoto teased, already on her way to the bedroom to grab some extra clothes, though she cast one last concerned glance over to her friend. Rei resisted the urge to roll her eyes this time, choosing instead to joke back, comfortable in her friend's presence.

"Oh you know how it is, they trail after you like little puppies and only grow more excited the more you stab their foots with a stiletto heel instead of running off with their tail between their legs." Rei quipped back, flailing ungracefully onto the sofa. Her dress billowed out around her as she rested her head on the armrest.

"Most guys who trail after me intend to break my nose, only to run off with their own nose broken." Makoto stated with a smug grin as she returned, lounge clothes held in her arm. Rei let out a bark of laughter as she sat up and grabbed the clothes from her friend. The shirt was one of hers, a simple red shirt that was too small to fit Makoto's wider shoulders and more endowed chest. The black sweatpants were obviously Makoto's, made clear by the length that curled under Rei's feet even as she pulled them up higher and tried to roll the trailing material above her ankle. Makoto had left Rei to give her privacy and she could hear the girl hum happily as she twirled around her kitchen, already knowing to prepare tea for Rei and most likely heating up a batch of cookies. Rei laid back down upon the couch, closing her eyes as she let the warm feelings from being cared for envelope her.

It was the sound of the timer that alerted Rei to Makoto's preparations finishing. A few minutes later, she could hear Makoto call for her, so she stood and walked through the apartment to the table Makoto sat at. Makoto gave her a warm smile as she arrived, nodding her head towards the prepared tea and simple sugar cookies. Rei gratefully took a seat, indulging herself on the soothing quality of the tea and the simple sugary goodness of the cookies, listening as Makoto rambled on about her day or even about some unimportant gossip. When Rei finally finished, Makoto grinned and nodded her head towards the television.

"Wanna watch some trashy romance movie? Or even a horror movie?"

"God yes. Dibs on choosing." Rei bounded over to Makoto's huge collection of movies, sifting through them until she came across a favored romance movie. Despite a prior attitude of thinking such things were pointless and even below her, Rei had grown fond of movie nights with the girls. She had even become partial to romance movies, despite her lack of need to find fulfillment in romance. Makoto eagerly took it from her, popping it into the TV, before throwing herself onto the couch like Rei had done earlier. She then patted the spot next to her. Rei oblingly sat next to her friend, letting herself be pulled into a cuddle under the crook of her friend's arms. The first time Rei had fallen victim to Makoto's cuddling obsession, she had jumped out of her friend's arms and awkwardly used the bathroom as an excuse to escape. Rei did not do affection well, especially physical affection. Unlike Minako and Usagi, who practically jumped into Makoto's arms, her reaction had been similar to Ami's. Unlike Ami, who was just not used to that kind of affection and had apologized before letting herself succumb to the cuddling obsession, Rei's reaction had been less than stellar and it had led to some awkward heart to hearts. Makoto had let Rei grow comfortable before pulling her into the snuggle craze, though Rei was entirely ok with it now and happily cuddled closer to her friend.

They watched the movie for awhile in companionable silence, once and awhile adjusting their positions to get more comfortable. As the movie was a quarter through, Rei couldn't take the feel of her makeup gunking up her face anymore. She stood, simply pointing at her lined eyes in response to Makoto's confused look. Makoto nodded as Rei walked to the bathroom. She looked into the mirror for a moment before gripping the sink tile, taking in a deep breath. No matter how immune she felt to her father's indifference, a small part of her would always be the little girl who waited for gifts from a missing father she had not yet realized didn't really care. She let out a hollow laugh before grabbing one of Makoto's makeup bag and searching for the makeup removal. She grabbed some cottonballs, pouring the clear liquid onto them silently before wiping it all over her face.

Afterwards, she swiftly walked back to the couch, burying herself into Makoto's arms as she watched the end of the movie. She felt Makoto's arms tighten around her as the taller girl stayed silent, both of their eyes glued to the screen. As the credits flashed upon the screen, Rei gripped Makoto's arm to stop the other girl from getting up.

"I met someone interesting today." Rei said simply, keeping her eyes forward and ignoring Makoto's startled glance.

"Oh? Who could have caught the eye of the great Rei Hino?" Though Makoto kept her tone light and teasing, no one could miss her searching, curious stare.

"Not like that." Rei said, finally turning around, giving Makoto a slight glare. Makoto began waving her hands in a slight panic.

"I know! I know! I'm not Minako, you know!" She quickly replied. Rei gave a slight huff before nestling herself back into Makoto's arms. Though the other girl couldn't hide her curiosity, she kept quiet and waited for Rei to speak in her own time, instead choosing to softly comb her hands through Rei's hair soothingly. Rei made a small noise of content before, in a move completely uncharacteristic of her, she rolled out of Makoto's arms and off the couch onto the ground. She splayed her arms out and stared at the ceiling, before turning her head towards Makoto as other girl let out a surprised sound of laughter. There was a gentle thump as Makoto copied Rei's actions, before she propped her head up in her hand and glanced down at Rei with a smile.

"He's the Vongola Decimo." Rei said quietly. Makoto's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Is that even Japanese?"

"No, it's Italian. He's the heir for the Vongola Famiglia. They're a powerful mafia family." The Italian words felt odd and clunky to Rei as she said them, but she was more focused on Makoto's reaction.

"The mafia?! Seriously? How the hell did you even get close to them?" Makoto questioned, sitting up in alarm. Rei turned her face back to the ceiling.

"I guess my father decided his smarmy personality wasn't enough and is finally becoming a true politician." Rei answered bitterly, another hollow laugh forcing it's way out of her throat.

Rei expected Makoto to question her about the Vongola Juudaime or even her father. She didn't expect the tight hug Makoto pulled her into. But honestly, it was Makoto. She shouldn't have been surprised about the sudden hug. Rei stayed still, not really sure how to respond, but appreciating the comfort her friend was providing. Makoto slowly pulled away, her eyes searching all over Rei's face.

"I'm fine." Rei sighed, though she had a small frown on her face. Makoto opened her mouth as if to argue before closing it and nodding, knowing it was nearly impossible to demand Rei to say anything she wasn't ready to reveal.

"Anyway, tell me about this mafia guy. Is he tall, dark, and handsome? Is he an irresistible bad boy?" Makoto gave her an exaggerated wink, causing Rei to laugh.

"None of the above actually. He was short and was more pretty than handsome, though he had a certain charm about him. Sorry to burst your bubble, but from what I hear, he's got a girlfriend." Rei replied with a slight smirk.

"Darn, Minako would've had a field day with this- Not that I would have told her anything! These lips are sealed!" Makoto laughed nervously, waving her hands in surrender once again at Rei's sudden death glare.

"So, tell me about this Vongola Decimo."

Rei settled against the couch, tilting her head back as she thought silently. She slowly replied, one of the few times her voice was hesitant and unsure.

"He has that... Pull that Usagi does. That feeling that... It was maybe ok to follow someone to the end of the Earth. I don't know how to describe it. Even if he had the same mask as everyone else and played their game, he was different. Like her." Rei turned her head to Makoto, watching the girl's reaction. If anyone could truly understand what she meant, it would be another senshi.

"...Do you think you're going to see him again?"

"I... Truthfully? I hope so." Rei said, still hesitant. Makoto nodded, putting a comforting hand on Rei's shoulder, sensing the troubled feelings the stoic girl was still feeling. She stood and offered a hand to Rei.

"Come on, let's go to bed. You can shower if you want, though I call dibs on being first." Makoto grinned as she pulled Rei up, before heading towards her bedroom and bathroom.

Later, as Rei lay in Makoto's bed, she once again found herself staring at the ceiling.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada," Rei said slowly, "You certainly weren't what I expected."

She turned around, snuggling into Makoto's side as sleep began to claim her, her last thoughts turning fuzzy.

A man had somehow caught the interest of the hard to impress Rei Hino. But hell if she was telling Minako.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is never enough ReiMako (or MinaAmi)


	3. The Spartan Tutor Returns

Tsuna collapsed onto the hotel bed, a long sigh of relief escaping from his throat. Gokudera immediately began to hover over Tsuna, a visibly worried look on his face.

"Tenth! Are you alright?" Gokudera questioned a little frantically, his eyes searching over Tsuna's person.

"I've decided that Xanxus can have the ring back, just as long as I don't have to go to another party." Tsuna whined, flipping around and burying his face into the pillow. Yamamoto, leaning against the wall, let out a laugh.

"There, there, Tsuna. No need to be scared. We'll protect you from the politicians!" Yamamoto teased, his ever present grin plastered on his face.

"As if the Tenth would be afraid of some weak idiots." At Gokudera's words, Tsuna lifted his head out of the pillow and gave a dramatic sniffle.

"Save me, Gokudera." He cried out pitifully.

"T-Tenth!" At Gokudera's yelp, Yamamoto began laughing, his body bent over, as Tsuna buried his face back into the pillow.

Despite still having "No Good" moments, Tsuna had become more confident and self-assured, especially now that he was eighteen. Though there would always be mafia families and members who looked down on him, Tsuna had gained the respect of many in the mafia world. It didn't mean that he couldn't have a moment to himself and whine about it.

"Tsuna?" At Yamamoto's call, Tsuna sat up and stared at his two friends quizzically.

"What is it?"

"Ah, I was just saying that we could spend a few days in Juuban, just to relax a little." Yamamoto clarified. The idea was especially appealing to Tsuna. Even Gokudera had a thoughtful expression on his face. Usually a smaller, peaceful area like Juuban wouldn't be a place for the mafia or the gatherings they hosted. However, peculiar things in Juuban had come to the mafia world's attention and some had begun easing their way into the city. From what Tsuna had gathered, it had something to do with a group called the Sailor Senshi and strange monsters. At first, most had just assumed they were vigilantes with strong flame abilities, especially since no mafia had claimed them as part of their family. However, as more people gathered information, it was revealed that the Senshi's abilities went above and beyond those of the flames. The families had erupted at that, perhaps worried that another family had followed in the Estraneo family's example and had begun experimenting on people, especially as the mafia discovered the strange monsters that popped up around the senshi. But before the mafia families could receive concrete information, the Senshi had seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth, along with the powerful monsters that they fought.

That had been about two years ago, when Tsuna had been sixteen. Though no one could find a trace of the Senshi, many mafia families had tried to move into Juuban, most likely hoping to be the first to discover and gain the service of the mysterious and powerful Senshi. After two years of no sightings, most mafia families had backed off. However, Juuban had already been tainted by the mafia, though most residents were unaware and most likely used to brushing off weird events.

"Good idea, Yamamoto. It's good to see one of you using your brain." The somewhat squeaky voice made Tsuna stiffen on reflex, feeling like a child who hadn't lived up to their parents expectation.

"Reborn! What are you doing here?" Gokudera questioned before Tsuna could open his mouth. Before the three boys stood a young, teenage boy dressed sharply in a suit with a fedora covering his spiky, black hair. After the Acrobaleno Curse had been lifted, Reborn had begun aging, but more rapidly. For every year, Reborn seemed to gain an extra year or two instead. Reborn had hypothesized that he would be about the same age as most of the Guardians in eight or ten years. Still, despite the fact that Reborn is going through puberty again and his cracking voice should not be able to inspire fear in Tsuna, Reborn is still the world's greatest hitman and Tsuna's very own personal Spartan tutor from Hell.

"I thought I would drop by and see how each of you are handling yourself." Reborn's smirk should not have sent chills down Tsuna's spine, but he couldn't help feeling apprehensive.

"Reborn... What are you planning?" Tsuna questioned slowly.

"What are you talking about, No Good Tsuna? I'm not planning anything," Reborn's smirk did not waver, "Now, I believe you all should take a vacation here in Juuban. Enjoy the peaceful atmosphere."

"Why now of all times?! Besides, you don't do vacations!" Tsuna practically screeched. He was rewarded with a familiar gun pointed at his face.

"Are you objecting to my great idea?"

"Wasn't it Yamamoto's idea?" Tsuna murmured, his expression deadpan.

"What was that, No Good Tsuna?" Reborn's voice took on a dangerous tone, the one that promised pain if Tsuna objected.

"No... No objections." Tsuna relented, his expression that of a man who was walking to his death and had no way of escape.

"Good. Now, get lots of sleep. You have a job to do tomorrow." With that, Reborn turned and walked out the room without a backward glance.

"Ehhh?! What happened to this being a vacation?!" Tsuna cried after him.

"Ah, this will be great! I haven't had a vacation in forever." Yamamoto said gleefully.

"Didn't you hear Reborn, baseball-nut? We have a job to do!" Gokudera sneered.

Tsuna simply flopped back down onto the bed, burying his face into his pillow with a giant groan as his two guardians squabbled behind him.

 

* * *

  

When Tsuna awoke the next morning, it was to the feeling that his life was about to become hell and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Or more specifically, stop him.

It felt like being fourteen allover again. Joy.

As usual, Tsuna was the last to awake. Gokudera, glasses perched on his nose and his trusty computer laid out before him, was munching on his breakfast. Yamamoto was nowhere to be seen.

"Good morning, Gokudera. Where's Yamamoto?" Tsuna yawned. Gokudera turned towards him and brightened.

"Good morning, Tenth! The baseball-idiot went for a morning run. Would you like some breakfast?" Tsuna nodded, smiling at how much more relaxed his Storm Guardian was. They had taken vacations before of course, but perhaps it was the familiarity of a peaceful Japanese city and how low-key the vacation seemed to be. Gokudera had an unusually difficult time relaxing on vacation, always becoming more high-strung as he worried about the work that he was missing. As Tsuna stood up to wander to the bathroom, he wondered why Gokudera of all people wasn't freaking out about the work that is most likely piling up.

He received his answer as he meandered back to the kitchen table, glancing as his right-hand man's laptop. Displayed on the screen were numerous tabs linking to the mysterious Sailor Senshi. Tsuna nearly face-vaulted, wondering if his friend had gotten caught up in the Senshi craze.

"What's wrong, Tenth?" Gokudera questioned worriedly when he noticed the look on Tsuna's face.

"Gokudera, don't tell me you're obsessed with the Sailor Senshi too." Tsuna said, though Gokudera just smiled and waved his hand.

"Reborn came by while you were sleeping and explained the mission for us. Apparently, he wants us to look into the Senshi. I thought I would just get a head start." Gokudera replied, sliding over a plate of food from a room-ordered food cart. He then sat down and began typing furiously.

"That's why he's in a good mood. He's working after all." Tsuna thought, his shoulders slumped in disbelief. He vaguely wondered if Reborn was losing his sadistic streak, seeing as the ex-Acrobaleno let Tsuna sleep in for once. He sat down and began munching on his breakfast, idly wondering how Yamamoto was doing.

 

* * *

 

For the first time in months, Yamamoto felt truly relaxed. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and there were no hidden assassins trying to jump out and kill him. As he jogged through the peaceful area, he felt a small, genuine small curve upon his face.

And then he almost smashed into someone.

Yamamoto forced his body to stop it's original path and twisted himself away as soon as he noticed the tall girl step around the corner he was jogging around. His body moved more on instinct before his mind caught up with the situation and he felt himself stiffen in surprise. The tall brunette had twisted herself out of the way as well, dropping her groceries and falling back into a defensive stance of her own. His mind raced, trying to answer why a resident in such a peaceful place would react in such an alarmed manner. The girl seemed to have realized what she had done, as she was flushed as she awkwardly assumed a casual stance and wiped her hands on her pants. Then her eyes landed on her groceries and she let out a screech.

"Oh, damn it! Give me a break." The girl muttered as she bent down, picking up her groceries and letting out an angry mutter at anything that wasn't in mint condition.

"Sorry, sorry. I should've been watching where I was going." Yamamoto crouched down as well, offering her a friendly smile when she glanced over in surprise. She blushed a little at his attention, prompting Yamamoto to let out a small chuckle as he helped her to put everything back in her bags.

"Is most of it ok?" Yamamoto questioned, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. The girl sighed in defeat.

"Most of it, though I'll still need to run back and replace some of it. I should've been paying attention as well." The girl replied, just as sheepish with a small, embarrassed smile on her face.

"Let me compensate you. It was my fault." Yamamoto said, reaching to grab his wallet before he noticed the prideful grimace on her face.

"No, it's fine. I already told you I wasn't paying attention either. I don't need charity." She replied. The words seemed mechanical and rehearsed, as if she had said them thousands of times before. Yamamoto couldn't help but think of Gokudera and how he always wanted to fend for himself and taking offense at offered help.

"It's not charity, it's me offering to pay you back for what was partially my fault." Yamamoto attempted to negotiate, falling back into the way he sometimes handled Gokudera. The girl seemed to mull over his words before sighing again and nodding slowly.

"If it's that much of a big deal to you and you're ok with it, then I won't argue. I'm a little too tired for that." The girl finally consented, rubbing her head as she stifled a yawn. Yamamoto grinned and pulled out his wallet, thankful she wasn't as bad as Gokudera could be.

"Late night? Anyway, will this much do?" He handed her the cash, noting the circles under her eyes.

"More like girl problems," She joked, giving him a small smile, "But yeah, just some stuff came up. It's a good thing I had the day off today. This should do. Thank you."

"No problem. Sorry about this."

"It's really no big deal. Anyway, I have to go. See you around." She waved, before briskly walking off. He watched her go, about to turn, before realizing something.

"Takeshi Yamamoto." He called out to her. She turned around in surprise.

"What?"

"My name. It's Takeshi Yamamoto." He grinned again, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"Makoto. Makoto Kino." She grinned back, before once again walking away and out of his sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole aging rapidly thing was built on a headcanon of mine during the Future Arc. It had only been 10 years, yet Lal was pretty much back to her normal age (since she definitely did not look to be in her teens). So I kinda assumed that after she stopped using the Acrobaleno power, her body began to try to catch up to her original age (since you don't go to your twenties from age 2 in 10 years). So yeah, Reborn is aging rapidly, along with the rest of the Acrobaleno, so he is in his early teens(around 12 to 14).


	4. Scheming and Meetings and Pluto, Oh My

Mukuro layed somewhat sprawled across the couch, his back against the armrest. One leg was outstretched across the plush cushions with the other bent while his arm relaxed on it. His left hand held a glass of red wine, which he idly stared at with a thoughtful look on his face. His lips pursued slightly as his brow furrowed.

Chrome watched him for a moment, wondering slightly at what could have the aloof illusionist so preoccupied. It was not like Mukuro to get caught up in his thoughts like this, or at the least not let anyone see him get caught up in his thoughts. Chrome allowed her self a small moment of pride for being one of the select few that Mukuro let his guard down around before she finally spoke up.

"Mukuro-sama?" Chrome asked, somewhat hesitant. Mukuro seemed to jerk a little in surprise, though he covered it up with his usual disarming smirk as he turned to her, finally taking a sip of red wine from his glass. Chrome tilted her head a little as she waited, smiling affectionately at the other Mist illusionist.

"What is it, my dear Chrome?" He beckoned her closer with a wave of his glass. Chrome walked over to him, letting his free arm slink around her waist to pull her onto his lap. She let herself be dragged onto the couch, laying out her legs with his and resting her head on his chest. However, he remained silent, staring off into the distance, idly swishing the wine around in his glass. She snuggled in closer to his chest, enjoying the impromptu cuddle session. Mukuro wasn't one for public displays of affection, except for the sometimes teasing gestures he did to make Chrome blush. She watched him for a moment until his brow began to furrow again. Hesitantly, she raised a finger to smooth it across his brow with a shy smile.

"If you think too hard, you'll get wrinkles." She said softly, a somewhat playful note in her voice. He smirked slightly, catching her hand in his.

"My, my. Little Chrome is getting bold." He teased her, relishing in the blush that burst onto her cheeks.

"M-Mukuro-sama." She protested weakly, her face scrunching up into a small pout. He chuckled lightly, kissing her hand softly as she gave a little 'eep' of surprise and embarrassment, her blush seeming to overtake her whole face.

"I was merely thinking about something." He finally answered her earlier question. She tilted her head questioningly, resting her newly released hand on his chest.

"What is on your mind?" His smirk widened at her words. He took a long swig of his wine before answering her, as she waited patiently with her head resting lightly on the crook of his shoulder.

"Dear Chrome, what do you think about going on a little vacation?"

 

* * *

 

Makoto struggled to hide her sigh as Usagi once again messed up. It wasn't that she was irritated with her friend, despite the batter that now coated the counters. She was used to her clumsy friend's mistakes and even found them endearing, though the little accidents were happening less often now. Besides, it was Makoto who agreed to help Usagi learn to cook, though she would vehemently deny that it was Usagi's puppy-dog look that made her say yes. She just simply did not want Mamoru to die from food poisoning. But besides that, a teacher had to be ready for a student to make mistakes, even if it did result in Makoto's worst nightmare: a messy kitchen.

It was more that Makoto had once again stayed up last night, but this time because of the thoughts that ran rampant through her head. She couldn't stop thinking about Rei and this 'Vongola Decimo' that Rei had run into. A part of her couldn't help but feel apprehensive about the whole situation, especially since Rei wanted to see the guy again. Another part of her, the one that sighed dreamily about guys with Minako, also thought a little about the cute man she had run into, idly wondering if he was single and if she would seem him again. Hot men aside, Makoto was just not in the mood to be the perfect teacher and would have preferred to collapse on the couch, which Minako had instead claimed as her own. At the sound of Usagi's squeals of dismay and Makoto's forlorn sighs, Minako popped her head up and smirked.

"Having a little trouble there?" Minako teased her blonde friend. Usagi spun around with a slight glare and a huge pout, her hands on her hips.

"I'd like to see you try, Mina-chan!" Usagi challenged. With a dramatic sigh, Minako sat up regally like a queen and started towards the kitchen.

"It looks like it's up to the master to teach you peasants." Minako declared with a haughty flip of her hair.

"No," Makoto deadpanned, "I am not letting both of you in my kitchen."

The last time that had happened, Makoto had to buy a whole new oven. How two girls, especially two girls who used to save the world on a daily basis, could blow up an oven was beyond her. But she had learned her lesson: Minako and Usagi were not allowed together in her kitchen or near her oven, especially without strict supervision.

"That's not fair, Mako-chan!" Minako pouted at her tall friend, sidling up to her side coyly and wrapping her arm's around the tall girl's arm, "What happens when I find a yummy husband that I need to impress! Or even a cute girlfriend."

Despite Minako's humorous theatrics, both girls knew that the chances of not only finding someone before Crystal Tokyo, but being able to marry them were slim to none. Both girls willingly gave their lives to Usagi. To back out now for a significant other who could never compare to their princess or even to the feelings they had for their princess had rarely crossed either girls mind, as both would rather give up their lives than abandon their beloved princess. Sometimes the inners were jealous of Haruka and Michiru, whose own love seemed to rival that of Usagi's and Mamoru's at times. Life would be much easier if they fell in love with the other senshi. Alas, they only felt kinship and platonic love for each other, though most of them found that enough. It was usually Makoto and Minako who stayed up late at night, recounting all their romantic encounters and wondering about the possibility of a soul mate they could have had, only to mostly fall asleep wrapped up in each others arms and occasionally even a little tipsy.

"You can visit me then when that happens and I'll gladly help you. But for now, I think Usagi is enough." The brunette answered calmly, albeit somewhat exasperated. The senshi of love's brows furrowed as she stared searchingly at her friend before smiling wickedly.

"Someone's been having late nights," The blonde practically sang as she pointed at the dark circles under Makoto's eyes, "Staying up with a cute boy we don't know about? How scandalous!"

Usagi snickered at that, though her gaze was now fixed on Makoto too, both blondes adopting an identical searching expression that was filled with a little too much predatory glee for Makoto's comfort. Makoto's face burst into red as she blushed.

"M-Minako!" She practically squealed, "Of course not!"

"Uh-huh. You're hiding something." Minako replied, her eyes narrowing as her arms tightened around her friends arm.

"Come on, Mako-chan! Tell us, tell us!" Now her princess had attached herself to her other arm, her eyes shining and her food explosion forgotten. The brunette just simply sighed, accepting her fate as the two blonde's squeeze toy.

"Honest, I don't have a secret boyfriend. I just had a lot on my mind." She answered truthfully. Minako pouted, disentangling herself from her friend.

"Boo, that's boring."

However, Usagi kept herself close to her friend, a now concerned look on her face.

"Is everything alright, Mako?" She asked, a slight worried frown on her face. Makoto smiled warmly down at the caring blonde.

"Yeah, everything's alright. I just couldn't fall asleep last night and Rei was over late the night before. I'm just tired." She reassured the blonde, who pulled away, though she still looked a little worried. Minako sighed softly, a small sad look of her own flashing across her face, before throwing her arms around her two friends.

"Come on, guys! Don't be sad. We're going to college soon. This is supposed to be the best parts of our lives! We'll be able to party whenever and flirt with whoever we want! We'll have no adults hanging over us! It'll be us against the world!" The blonde shouted jubilantly. Her enthusiasm was infectious, as Usagi began giggling and skipped back over to begin cleaning her latest mess. Makoto lingered a little longer under her friends arms, squeezing the taller blonde closer before following Usagi.

No one mentioned that it would really be the only time they could live their lives still as Makoto, Minako, and Usagi before they gave up those names and forever became Jupiter, Venus, and Neo-Queen Serenity.

 

* * *

 

Hana Kurokawa prided herself on being smart and thinking ahead. It's probably why she looked down on so many people in her youth, because they never utilized their brains and seemed more like monkeys than proper humans. People had the ability to think, but so many wasted their potential. Sometimes she felt like she drew idiots to her like magnets. She even felt at times that she had some kind of idiot phobia.

Nevertheless, she lived through high school and, despite thinking of herself as the most mature of the bunch, she herself had matured in some ways. She grudgingly admitted that it was thanks to not only Kyoko, but somewhat to Sawada. She had seen the strange things that happened around Sawada and the people with him. When Kyoko began to get involved, Hana had put her foot down. No way was she letting her friend be pulled into that mess, especially not without Hana there to stop her from making stupid decisions. Except, the whole thing had changed Hana, who been able to find an odd sort of kinship with the outrageous bunch. While she would be quick to point out how stupid the boys were being at times, especially Gokudera, Hana admitted to herself that there was more to Tsuna than just being No-Good. But hell if she was following him into the mafia world so soon after high school. She had her own life to live.

Luckily, Haru and Kyoko seemed to share her feelings and they all were fortunately accepted to the same college, the discovery prompting an early round of Haru Appreciation Day. While Kyoko would forever be her best friend, Hana had opted to let her room with Haru, mostly because those two were involved more heavily with Sawada and Hana preferred to not be so drawn into the craziness. A girl could only handle so much of Sawada and his lot. Hana had also admitted to herself that perhaps she needed a few more 'normal' friends, which led to her decision to room with someone new.

Which is why Hana sat in a cute cafe waiting for her future roommate. She had been happy to stumble upon it when she was familiarizing herself with her new town. Luckily, the college was close to her hometown, and coincidentally close to her roommate's hometown, so they both had planned to meet there and take a trip around the town before college started. Upon receiving her roommate's name and information, Hana had immediately emailed the girl to get to know her. Her emails had been returned quickly and Hana had grown to appreciate her new roommate.

The buzzing of her phone jolted Hana out of her thoughts and she grabbed her phone off the table to look at her messages before lowering it back down with a small smile and a slight blush.

"Idiot." She muttered fondly, looking at the message again.

'I hope you get along with your new roommate extremely well! Hope to see you soon!'

The message from her boyfriend was nice, but it was the small 'miss you to the extreme' tagged almost hesitantly at the bottom under exclamation marks that made her blush like a schoolgirl with her first crush. That had been perhaps one of the better parts of joining Sawada's little group of friends. Not only had she opened herself up to the 'monkeys' and had even become friends with most of them, but she had been able to develop a new appreciation for Kyoko's older brother that had ended up turning into something more. He wasn't the most romantic person, but he definitely made up for it with enthusiasm and Hana had grown to appreciate his rambunctious ways, despite a loud and vehemently declared dislike of such traits in the past. But that whole affair was another story for another day.

It was the small jingle of the bell at the cafe's door that pulled Hana from her thoughts this time. She absently turned to look at the person who entered before sitting up straight at the sight of a short blue-haired girl. Hana waved her over, a friendly smile appearing on her face as the other girl bowed.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person, Hana." The other girl smiled shyly. Hana couldn't help her own smile from growing. It was nice to have normal friends again.

"Like-wise, Ami."

 

* * *

 

If you had told Reborn more than five years ago that his teenage self would be having tea with the Vongola Decimo, he would have left the offender lying on the ground as he walked away, idly wondering why he would be out and about with Xanxus of all people. For after all, there were things people should not bring up with the world's greatest hitman. Of course, matters had completely changed now that the curse was broken. That did not mean it was no longer a sensitive matter for Reborn or any of the other Acrobaleno, for even the world's greatest hitman had his demons to contend with.

Reborn sat across from his former student as he absently sipped on his espresso. Tsuna for his part looked somewhat skittish, despite his attempts to hide it, as he was wary of what Reborn had planned. Reborn, however, had simply wanted coffee. While things were easier to deal with now that he was a teenager, Reborn still got weird looks when he did things like order espresso, especially in areas with people unaware of the Acrobaleno. For now, Reborn just enjoyed his espresso with the boy who was almost like a son to him, though that whole mess with Iemetsu was another can of worms entirely that Reborn was not looking forward to dealing with.

"Tsuna," Reborn cleared his throat, "You can stop looking at me like I'm going to shoot you."

"I am not!" The boy protested. At Reborn's unimpressed stare, the boy crossed his arms and pouted.

"You're up to something."

"Do you really have such little faith in me, No Good Tsuna?" Reborn hid his smirk behind his cup.

"Yes. Especially when you call me that." The boy replied bluntly. Reborn just simply shrugged.

"At least you're honest."

"Are you going to tell me what you're planning?" Tsuna asked warily.

"Nothing for now." The hitman replied honestly. Truth for a truth. Reborn absently scanned the small bakery, before he zeroed in on one particular person.

"Oh great." Tsuna's head collapsed dramatically onto the table, missing the way Reborn froze.

"I never expected to see the world's greatest hitman here of all places, let alone as a teenager."

Tsuna's head shot up at the unfamiliar voice, noting the way the hitman had stiffened before swiveling around in his seat. Before him stood a tall, tanned woman dressed in a fashionable suit. Her long, green-tinted black hair swayed down her back with half of it pulled up into a bun. Her red eyes studied Tsuna before her lips curled up.

"It's good to see you again, Reborn." The woman smiled at Reborn, nodding her head towards him. The hitman finally relaxed as he opened his mouth.

"Setsuna."


	5. A Wild Setsuna Appears

Setsuna felt her lips curve up into a smile as she eyed the Sun Acrobaleno.

"I see you've finally broken the curse." She said simply, tilting her head. Reborn snorted at that and took a sip of his coffee as the young man frantically swiveled his gaze from her back to Reborn repeatedly.

"Knowing you, you probably already knew." Reborn replied back to her, arching a brow in challenge. She just chuckled lightly, keeping her small smile.

"Do you mind if join you? I heard from a friend this place has great tarts." At her words, Reborn waved his hand at the free chair beside him while the young man gaped in confusion.

"A tart sounds great," Reborn put down his cup of coffee before standing up, "Tsuna, do you want anything?"

"Uhhh... S-sure, I'll take a strawberry shortcake." The boy seemed to eye Reborn warily, who just nodded and followed Setsuna to the counter.

"Friend of yours?" Setsuna said, slight amusement coloring her voice. Reborn just grunted at her, looking at her out of the corner of her eye.

"You probably already know who he is."

"Perhaps. But I don't know the exact relationship between you two." Setsuna said before ordering a fruit tart and quickly paying, then waiting for Reborn to order his own chocolate tart and a shortcake for the boy.

"He was my student." Reborn replied shortly. Setsuna hummed in response while he paid for his food.

"Speaking of students, how is Dino?" Setsuna suddenly asked, tilting her head again. Reborn seemed to perk up a little, though the untrained eye would not have noticed it.

"Still tripping over his own feet, but he's made a name for himself. Chasing after the Poison Scorpion though. My students all seem to have suicidal tendencies." Reborn smirked as Setsuna chuckled softly while they walked back to the table. The young man had composed himself, adopting a more neutral expression towards Setsuna.

"Hello Tsuna. My name is Setsuna." She introduced herself, sliding elegantly into her seat. Tsuna studied her for a moment before smiling and dipping his head towards her.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you." He said diplomatically. She had to chuckle at that.

"I see you've picked up your teacher's wary nature. Though I guess it's a nature befitting of a mafia boss." She folded her hands in front of her and rested her chin on her hands as she stared intently at the boy. He squirmed a little under her gaze, but it was kept to a minimal and he never broke eye contact. She finally turned away, taking a bite of her tart.

"Mmm... Makoto was right about this place." Setsuna murmured in content. Reborn looked up from his own plate at that.

"Friend of yours?" He kept his tone bland, but she could see the curiosity burning in his eyes.

"More like a sister." Setsuna smiled mysteriously, before her smile broke into a grin as Reborn gave her a deadpan look.

"You'll have to try harder than that, Reborn. You're getting rusty." Setsuna muttered before taking another bite. The young man was back to looking frantically between them, though his brows were furrowed this time.

"One of these days, I'll crack you, Setsuna," Reborn took a sip of his espresso, "But for now, it's a lovely day. I'll let you win this time."

Setsuna smiled behind her hand as Tsuna just rubbed his head in frustration.

 

* * *

 

"Oh!" Kyoko muttered, looking at her phone.

Haru's head jerked up at her friend's voice, her lack of sleep making her jump to her feet dramatically and her mind race with irrational thoughts.

"What is it, Kyoko?!" Haru gasped, wobbling a little as the power of coffee had not kicked in yet and fearing the worse. Kyoko just simply glanced up and smiled.

"Chrome just texted me. She was-" Kyoko was interrupted by Haru dramatically flopping onto the ground and groaning.

"Haru? Are you ok?" Kyoko asked worriedly. Haru just glared at her friend.

"How are you so perky in the morning?"

"But you're much more of a morning person than me." Kyoko pointed out, not minding her friends antics. Haru huffed at her friend's calm.

"We stayed up practically the whole night and got barely any sleep! How can you not want to bang your head against the wall?!"

"Because that would make my head hurt more." Kyoko stated calmly. Haru just groaned and rolled over.

"Haru hates you right now." She cried mournfully. Kyoko snickered at that.

"And that is why I'm so perky in the morning after sleepovers." The other girl said sweetly. Haru glared and huffed again.

"What did Chrome want?" Haru finally asked.

"Oh! She wanted to know if we would like to join her and Mukuro on a trip!" Kyoko said, excitement creeping into her voice, though Haru crinkled up her nose at the mention of Mukuro.

"The last time we went out with those two together, my innocent eyes were scarred." Haru flailed dramatically as Kyoko watched in amusement.

"I told you not to look."

"That makes Haru want to look more!"

"Then it's your fault for not listening." At Kyoko's words, Haru reached forward and began tickling her orange haired friend, who flopped to the ground to get away from the brunette. Haru stuck her tongue out at her friend's glare. In response, Kyoko closed her eyes and concentrated, a moment passing before a blushing Gokudera appeared. Haru felt her jaw drop as she glared at her friend this time.

"That's not fair." Haru accused, eyes narrowing. Kyoko simply smiled sweetly in response.

"When has the mafia ever been fair?" The girl folded her hands primly as she responded. The Gokudera image disappeared as Haru rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine. I'll be good. So, where are Mukuro and Chrome going now?" At Haru's question, Kyoko glanced over the text again with a small smile.

"They want to go back to Japan."

 

* * *

 

Rei sat reading outside of the shrine, propped up against the tree. She had a faint, peaceful smile on her face as she put her book down for a moment and stretched out. Her back popped and she let out a satisfied moan.

"Well that was a sexy little moan right there, Rei-chan." An insufferably familiar voice pointed out. Rei's smile instantly left her face as she whipped her head around to glare.

"Minako. Take your vulgar attitude and throw it back into the trash." Rei hissed back, crossing her arms. Minako slithered up to her, a pout on her lips.

"Now that's no way to talk to someone who brought you food." Minako whined. Rei raised an eyebrow out that.

"Then where is this so called food?" She pointed out, though Minako just grinned at her words.

"With Mako of course!" Minako declared before turning around and cupping her hands arounds her mouth, "MAKOTO! I FOUND HER!"

Rei gnashed her teeth together at Minako's loud scream, knowing the other girl was purposefully riling her up. Minako just snickered as she watched her, before sitting down and smoothing out her skirt.

"Ok, ok. I'll be good." Minako declared. Rei just huffed a little before Makoto came striding from the corner, a pack of food and desserts in her hands. Minako began bouncing.

"Impromptu picnic!" The blonde squealed as the brunette joined them laughing.

"I'm watching the shrine today." Rei pointed out, still a little annoyed with Minako.

"Rei, you were sitting here reading a book," Makoto pointed to the book at Rei's side as she spoke, "Plus, you can see anyone who walks up the steps if you're paying attention."

"Fine, let's have a picnic. I'm hungry anyway." Rei finally relented. The other two girls exchanged triumphant grins at her words.

"Yay! Now gimme that pie, Mako-chan!" The blonde reached out with her hands and made grabbing gestures. Makoto just stared at her unimpressed.

"You look like a pervert wanting to grab my boobs, Mina." The tall girl rolled her eyes at her friend's cackles.

"I'll happily do that too." Minako leered at her friend who gave a little yelp and covered her chest.

"My appetite is now ruined." Rei closed her eyes as she rubbed her forehead.

"No, Rei! I'll be good! Now gimme the pie!"

After that, the three girls enjoyed the food as they chatted quietly, with Rei once and awhile getting up to attend to people. During a moment without Rei, Minako turned towards the brunette with a curious look.

"You said earlier that you were up late the other day with Rei. Did something happen?" The blonde rested her chin on her hand as she stared at Makoto.

"Dad." Makoto said simply, knowing it wasn't her business to share, though Minako seemed to understand as she nodded.

"Ah, Mr. Douchebag himself." The two exchanged two looks of shared disgust and anger, before schooling their expressions back into happy grins as the black-haired miko rejoined them. They enjoyed a few more minutes of peacefulness before Makoto grabbed the dirty dishes and basket and went inside to clean them. The other two girls reclined on the blanket, satisfied smiles on their faces as they chatted back and forth.

The flux of conversation was cut short when Minako looked up at the sound of voices and adopted a leer onto her face.

"Would you look at that," She said, nodding her head towards two figures coming up the shrine steps, "I can handle greeting them for you, Rei."

"Not on your life." The miko fired back as she stood up.

"Come on, Rei. Give a friend a helping hand. Look at them!" Minako whined, her eyes still on the two strangers.

"Please don't act like that. It's uncouth."

"Then you obviously don't want to hear about the uncouth things I would do to them."

"You're absolutely disgusting, Minako."

"And you absolutely love me." At those words, Rei just crossed her arms and turned away while Minako smiled in triumph.

However, that was when Makoto finally walked out of the shrine after cleaning up. She dropped the basket in her hands as she gasped as one of the figures noticed her, pointing at the figure in surprise.

"You!"

 

* * *

 

Tsuna warily eyed the figure walking next to him and Reborn.

Sure, she was nice and polite and pretty interesting, but she had put Reborn on edge and that, frankly, freaked the heck out of Tsuna.

Instead of a cat versus mouse game, it was cat versus cat. Reborn would prod for information, Setsuna would vaguely respond. Reborn would try to goad her, Setuna would just smile serenely.

Plus it was really awkward when Reborn would drop some suave, flirty comment and Setsuna would reply coyly. That was really awkward, espcially since Reborn was a pipsqueak teenager, and Tsuna did not need that in his life, thank you very much. Tsuna wondered if he could make an excuse and run off to call Kyoko to cry about his problems. Reborn, stupid mind reader he is, must have noticed the look on Tsuna's face, for he directed a question at him.

"Tsuna. How is the research on the Sailor Senshi going?" The hitman asked. However, his eyes had slid to Setsuna as both men caught the way she stiffened slightly.

"Oh? Know something about the mysterious fighters?" The hitman asked, a somewhat predatory tone in his voice now that he had caught Setsuna off balance for a moment. Setsuna turned sharp eyes on the hitman that made Tsuna tense up a little, but the teenage hitman just stayed relaxed and evenly returned her slight glare.

"Those fighters have done more for this town then you will ever realize. Leave them alone." The woman practically hissed at Reborn. He just tilted his head quizzically in response.

"Why?" The hitman asked simply. Tsuna finally saw her serene calm crack just a bit as her exasperation at the hitman grew.

"Just leave them alone, Reborn. Don't pull them into the mafia and your little games." The woman finally replied, looking tired and old suddenly. Reborn stayed quiet for a moment before responding.

"You should know by now, Setsuna, that I would never hurt them. I'm not that type of person." The hitman said quietly. For a moment, Tsuna could have sworn there was a slight twinge of hurt in Reborn's voice. Tsuna watched as the two tried to stare the other down. He sighed in relief when Setsuna nodded and looked away.

"Be careful where you tread, Reborn." The words were said casual enough, but there was an underlying concern and warning in the woman's voice.

"I'm always careful." Reborn smirked as Setsuna rolled her eyes, before she grew serious again.

"I'm serious, Reborn. You're sticking your head in matters that are not your own."

Reborn just stared at the woman for a moment, processing her words as Tsuna held his breath.

"So you do know something about the elusive senshi." Reborn said it carefully. The woman finally returned to her serene calm and just gave her usual, mysterious smile.

"I know about as much as the next person." The woman tilted her head as she replied vaguely. Tsuna resisted the urge to bang his head against wall. After a minute of silence, Setsuna glanced at her watch.

"It's about time I left. I have business to attend to."

"What kind of business?" The hitman asked in amusement, getting right back into their cat versus cat interactions.

"When will you learn that not every question will be answered?"

"When will you learn that not everything has to be a secret?" Reborn countered.

"This coming from possibly the world's greatest hitman and the world's greatest secret keeper." The woman teased back.

"But I'm the world's greatest hitman, I need to keep secrets."

"As do I." Setsuna said casually. Tsuna wondered if now was the perfect time to bang his head on the wall in frustration, restraint be damned.

"Is this something you two do all the time or is today just special?" Tsuna finally voiced his thoughts, fed up with their back and forth. Setsuna laughed lightly at that as Reborn chuckled. Setsuna reached over and patted his head, making Tsuna squirm at being treated like a child again. The woman just smiled and leaned closer.

"I can see why Rei finds you so interesting." The woman murmured almost teasingly to Tsuna. Tsuna completely froze as his eyes widened.

Without another word, the tall woman just turned away and walked around the corner, leaving Tsuna in a stupefied state and Reborn staring at his student in confusion.

When Tsuna finally gathered his wits about him and ran after the woman, she had disappeared.


	6. How to Understand Rei Hino 101

Tsuna just stared down the empty street where the mysterious woman had disappeared. He didn't care how his jaw hung open or if his eyes were bugging out of his head, because his mind was too busy trying to figure out what the heck had just happened.

Until, of course, a familiar hand fwapped him on the head, albeit more gently than it had been years ago. Tsuna finally turned to the teenage hitman, whose face was blank of emotions as he stared at Tsuna.

"Tsuna, who is this Rei?" The hitman asked, his eyes narrowing. Tsuna sighed, running his hands through his hair in a habitual nervous gesture.

"I don't really know. I met her at the party the other day..." Tsuna trailed off, lost in his own thoughts, missing the way Reborn's own brows furrowed in thought.

"Tsuna. What do you know about her?" Reborn asked, jerking Tsuna out of his thoughts.

"Um, well, her name is Rei Hino. She's is the daughter of the Senator. She doesn't really like her father. She was different than everyone else, to say the least." Tsuna raised a finger at each sentence as he thought, unsure of how to explain the enigma that was Rei Hino.

"Is there anything else?" The black-haired youth questioned. At that, Tsuna's lips thinned and his own eyes narrowed once again in thought.

"Tsuna." Reborn patiently said, crossing his arms.

"I might not be correct-"

"I didn't teach you to be this hesitant." The hitman interjected with a teasing grin. He was promptly ignored.

"-but it wasn't her personality that was different. I mean, sure, she wasn't the usual rich snob, she didn't suck up to anyone and she wasn't trying to use anyone for her own gain." Tsuna was starting to ramble, letting his thoughts spill out. Reborn sighed.

"Tsuna. What was so special about her?" Reborn asked, still patient as he let the young man sort out his thoughts and feelings.

"Power," Tsuna's eyes finally met Reborn's own dark ones, "She felt powerful."

"In what way?"

"She wasn't graceful in the sense of a lady per say, but someone trained. She was too observant, kind of like Gokudera is, but also someone who was assessing to see what was a threat. And, honestly I'm not sure how I know, but she just felt powerful. There was something about her..." Tsuna trailed off, unsure of how to convey his observations of one Rei Hino. Reborn was still beside him, processing the other's words before finally choosing his words carefully.

"Do you think she could be a problem?" The hitman's face was tight. There were very few who would warrant protection freely given by the hitman, but Tsuna and his group made it into the select few. If some girl, no matter how close she was to Setsuna, was a threat to Tsuna's safety, Reborn would not hesitate to take her out, consequences be damned. Tsuna mulled over his words, opening his mouth before promptly closing it hesitantly, only to open it again to reply.

"Truthfully? I don't think so... But you never know." Tsuna answered warily, his face clouding over. Reborn nodded at his reply before turning away.

"Let's get back to the hotel." He called over his shoulder to the physically older boy, who promptly followed without any objection.

 

* * *

 

If one ever asked Makoto if she would have a threesome and, if so, with who, she would have directed the person to the lecherous Minako Aino. While she was not so shy as to deny having those thoughts at times, Makoto simply preferred to talk about such things with friends. Thus, as her eyes trailed over the man she had run into and his grouchy looking, albeit gorgeous, companion, she promptly added them to the list of people she had Minako-like thoughts about. She made a mental note to gush about them with Minako later.

For now, she just stared agape at the laughing, dark-haired man and the mumbling silver-haired man next to him. Her mouth flapped open like a fish and idly she bemoaned the fact that she was probably not making it onto any list of theirs. Unless, weird, awkward, tall girls I'd bang was a thing now. Then she was definitely number one.

"Yo! Fancy seeing you here!" The friendly man-Takeshi Yamamoto her mind supplied-ambled over to her as he shoved his hands into his pockets. The shorter man followed, his scowl still present on his face.

"Oh wow, I never expected to see you again," The brunette finally got her mouth into working order, only to resist the urge to face palm at her words, "Not that it's awful seeing you again, just it's really a surprise and usually not something that happens and wow, I really need to stop rambling."

Makoto let out a nervous laugh as Yamamoto watched in amusement and the silver-haired man gave her a weird look, before muttering something about being unable to escape eccentric brunettes. Luckily, Makoto was good at resisting the urge to throttle people, though she shot Yamamoto's friend a look at his words that he ignored.

By that time, Minako had finally skipped over, dragging an unamused shrine maiden behind her. At Rei's appearance, the silver-haired man's slouch straightened and his eyes widened as his mouth opened a little. Yamamoto just blinked in surprise. Neither of their reactions went unnoticed by Minako and Makoto, who exchanged looks before looking at Rei. The senshi of Mars had also stilled in shock, blinking rapidly as if it the two men would disappear if she blinked enough.

"Well isn't this exciting, staring at each other like this." Minako snickered, though her gaze was sharp as she studied the newcomers.

"Haha, sorry about that," The swordsman replied amiably, "I'm Takeshi Yamamoto. I ran into Makoto the other day. Surprised she didn't hit me over the head for the loss of her groceries."

"If only she did." The silver-haired man drawled as Makoto fumbled a little at Yamamoto's straightforwardness and the use of her first name.

"Takeshi Yamamoto, huh?" It's nice to meet you." Minako grinned as she unabashedly looked him up and down, though the man just seemed amused at her checking him out rather than offended.

"Whose your friend?" Both Makoto and Minako's heads almost flew off as they turned to gape at Rei. The shrine maiden ignored them, instead staring at the two males as she calmly awaited an answer to her question. For a tense moment, the boys just stared back before Yamamoto grinned again.

"Ah, this is my friend Hayato Gokudera." He nodded at his companion, who simply grunted at the girls. At a nudge from Yamamoto, the other boy sighed and stepped forward.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." He kept his eyes on Rei, continuing their stare off as Makoto and Minako watched in utter confusion. Yamamoto rubbed the back of his head and sighed, still maintaing his grin, as he watched.

"Jeez," He muttered under his breath before turning to the other two girls, "So it's nice to see you again, Makoto. Did you get more groceries?"

"Oh yeah, I was able to run back before my friend arrived. I'm teaching her to cook, though it's been kind of a disaster. Hurricane Usagi strikes again." The brunette explained, though she kept glancing at Rei and Gokudera, who had stopped staring at each other before walking off together. Minako narrowed her eyes at their retreating forms, but let the shrine maiden have her privacy as she turned to Makoto and Yamamoto with an evil grin on her face.

"So, how exactly was it that you two met?" She asked, a plan already formulating in her head.

Makoto turned to her friend with horror on her face, her worries about Rei forgotten in the face of the Love Goddess's glee.

 

* * *

 

Rei briskly walked off from her friends after the impromptu stare, the silver-haired man at her heels. She walked back over to the tree that the girls had lounged at, so as to keep the view of the entrance and her friends in sight. Then she turned to once again stare down the silver-haired man.

"What are you doing here?" She interrogated, her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed.

"The baseball idiot dragged me here, said he had found something he wanted to show me. So stop looking at me like I ran over your cat. I didn't follow you or anything." He grumbled at her, pulling a lighter and cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it. Rei almost lit him on fire then and there.

"First of all, I was not accusing you of stalking me. Second of all, I don't own a cat. And lastly, no. Smoking. On. My. Shrine." Rei grounded her teeth together as she enunciated her last words slowly and carefully before grabbing the cigarette from him. She waved it in his face with a glare on her own face.

"Now go throw this away." She ordered. The man opened his mouth, his own temper flaring before he exhaled and grabbed the cigarette. He walked away to dispose of it as Rei waited patiently, counting backwards from ten repeatedly until the man returned.

"Now, I was not questioning why you are at my shrine. I was asking why you are in Juuban." At Rei's words, the man stilled, his eyes narrowing as he studied her.

"It's none of your business." He replied. Rei repressed the urge to shriek.

"Why is the mafia in Juuban?" Rei fired at him, her fist clenched.

"Also none of your business." He snapped back. Rei's patience finally shattered. Her nerves were already frayed from Minako's exuberance on a tiring day for the shrine maiden and the rude man had finally made her snap. It also didn't help that new knowledge that the mafia were situating themselves in Juuban, as frankly, it freaked her out.

"Answer my question!" She shrieked at him, shoving her face close to his. He jolted a little at her suddenly raised volume and close proximity before pushing closer to her as well as his own temper broke.

"I don't have to, you crazy banshee!" He growled.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, YOU IMBECILE?" Any semblance of maturity and politeness fled from Rei as she fully gave in to her temper. She was ready to lean forward and strangle the man when a hand suddenly came down on her shoulder. She looked up, still seething, to the smiling face of the black-haired man. His other hand rested on Gokudera's shoulder as he restrained both of them.

"Now, now. No need for violence." He drawled, his grin perfectly plastered on his face. Behind him stood a panicked and worried Makoto and a delighted but curious Minako.

"Get your hand off me." She ground out before shaking the man's hand off. She exhaled slowly before straightening, a composed mask of calm on her face.

"You okay there, Rei-chan? Looking a little red in the face." Minako cackled as she poked fun at Rei. Rei once again counted backwards from ten as Makoto intervened.

"Sometimes, I worry that you're a little too suicidal, Mina." The brunette whispered, though Yamamoto heard and chuckled as he patted Gokudera's shoulder. The silver-haired man shook him off too, turning away slightly and crossing his arms.

"So, what brings you two to Juuban?" Makoto said pleasantly enough, though she still nervously glanced between the two hotheads.

"Vacation." Yamamoto grinned as Gokudera scoffed.

"Idiot! I told you it's not a vacation." Gokudera scolded his fellow guardian. At that, Rei's eyes narrowed.

"So you're here on business?" She murmured, though Gokudera's head jerked up as his eyes widened slightly.

"That's one way to put it," Yamamoto said breezily, "Though I definitely wanted to show Gokudera this beautiful shrine."

Despite her annoyance with most men in general and her new found dislike of Gokudera, Rei gave a polite smile to Yamamoto as she dipped her head slightly in thanks. It was then that Gokudera's phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at it before frowning.

"We have to go." He said simply as he pocketed his phone. He nodded his head in farewell to the girls, though he gave Rei a somewhat annoyed look, before turning and walking away. Yamamoto gave them a friendly wave before following his friend.

"Hopefully we'll see you guys again!" He called over his shoulder, though his eyes were on Makoto who gave a friendly grin and waved at his retreating form. As soon as they disappeared, Minako faced her fellow senshi.

"Those boys were weird. Though I'd climb them both like a tree. At the same time." The blonde nodded sagely, as if she had just answered the question to life.

Makoto promptly groaned as Rei walked away with her face in her hands.

 

* * *

 

Reborn sat at the small round table in his own hotel room, an almost empty cup of coffee before him. He was still lost in thoughts, his lips pursed.

Suddenly he stood up from the table, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He drained his cup before walking away, leaving it on the table as he sauntered over to the window. Leaning against the wall, he stared outside as he dialed.

"What do you want?" The voice that came through the phone sounded annoyed. Reborn let out a chuckle at the abrupt greeting.

"Hibari, how are you?" The hitman asked blandly, smirking as he knew that would irritate the solitary Cloud Guardian.

"I do not have time for pleasantries, baby. Get to the point." Hibari responded, still sounding annoyed. Despite the hitman's growth, Hibari and even Yamamoto still occasionally referred to him as baby and kid respectively.

"What would you think about heading here to Juuban?"

"I don't like crowds." Hibari answered automatically.

"And if I ordered you to?" Reborn asked with amusement, though he could already guess Hibari's response.

"As if I would listen."

"Then what would you do if I told you you would be able to fight?" Reborn asked, his voice still laced with amusement.

"Are you challenging me?" Hibari asked, annoyance gone and keen interest in his voice now.

"No, not me."

"Then Sawada?"

"Not him either."

"Then I'm not interested." Hibari replied, annoyance back in his voice.

"What if I told you there were some interesting people here in Juuban?" Reborn taunted slightly.

"Interesting in what way." Though Hibari once again sounded intrigued, his patience was wearing thin.

"Some very, very powerful people are here in Juuban. The likes of which you have never faced before and would never have the chance to face again." Reborn finally revealed.

"Hmm." Hibari hummed in response, obviously giving Reborn's offer some thought.

"Well?"

"I'll think about it." Reborn heard a click, signaling that Hibari had hung up.

"He'll be here tomorrow." The hitman mused to himself, putting his phone back in his pocket as he stared out the window in triumph.


	7. I Spy with My Little Eyes a Skylark

As they stepped down the shrine steps, Gokudera began grumbling irately to himself. He could feel Yamamoto watching him, but he didn't care to engage the swordsman. His mind was more preoccupied with Rei Hino.

"Who does she think she is..." He muttered, lighting another cigarette and feeling thankful there was no shrieking woman to take it from him. He heard Yamamoto chuckle next to him and turned his glare on his fellow guardian.

"What's so funny, moron?" He grumbled.

"You just have a way with the ladies." Yamamoto said as he poked his friend's shoulder.

"Shut up." Gokudera scowled, pulling his shoulder out of reach.

"It's a good thing Haru's into your bad boy charm." Yamamoto continued to tease his friend.

"Do you not understand the concept of being quiet?" Gokudera snapped.

"How to make girls explode without explosives by Hayato Gokudera." Yamamoto said, chuckling.

"For the love of all that is holy, SHUT YOUR TRAP!" Gokudera snarled. He waited another moment for another smartass comment, only for sweet silence to greet him. He gave Yamamoto an odd look for actually listening to him, though the Rain Guardian just gave him an amused smile. Gokudera decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and the two boys walked in silence.

At least, until Yamamoto started giggling like a pubescent girl again.

"What is it now?" Gokudera asked with a dark look.

"I guess we've finally met someone who shares your temper. At least she doesn't look like a giant tomato when she's mad." Yamamoto said between snickers. Gokudera paused at that before turning red with rage as he glared at his fellow guardian.

The street was suddenly filled with the sound of exploding dynamite and boisterous laughter.

 

* * *

 

Hana stared with amusement as her new roommate rambled about some complex theory. Hana was smart in her own right, but Ami seemed to be on a whole new level. The girl was practically sparkling as she talked.

'Her and Gokudera would be best friends.' Hana suddenly thought, trying to contain the sudden onslaught of giggles that threatened to escape. Ami must have noticed the shift in her expression, because she paused in the middle of her speech and flushed.

"I'm sorry, I must be boring you." The blue-haired girl looked down at her feet, biting her lip. Hana couldn't help but think of Chrome, who in random spurts would grow excited about certain things, only to become embarrassed when she thought of her audience was judging. Hana grimaced as she came to the conclusion that too many people had ridiculed Ami's interests. She reached over ad rested her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Don't be sorry. I find what you're talking about interesting. Besides, I enjoy this kind of thing too." Hana reassured with a small smile. Ami perked up at that and smiled back before launching right back where she left off. Hana was happily listening, interjecting with her own opinion once and awhile before she glanced around the small shopping area and spotted the dark figure leaning against the wall.

If there was anyone who caused Hana to freeze an want to turn tail and run, it was definitely Kyoya Hibari. The scowl on his pretty boy face did nothing to alleviate the sudden pit in her stomach. Ami, noticing the sudden change in Hana's demeanor followed her gaze to the young man against the wall.

"Is that a friend of yours?" Ami must have sensed the conflict Hana was feeling, for she sounded hesitant and kept darting looks over to Hibari.

"Does he even have friends?" Hana muttered before she could help it.

"So not a friend." Ami sounded slightly amused now.

"Friend is kind of a strong word." Hana replied, shrugging before straightening her spine and marching over to Hibari, Ami following behind her. Hibari was a part of Sawada's gang, no matter how much he tried to deny it, which meant he was connected to Ryohei. If Hibari was here instead of Namimori, that meant Ryohei could possibly be here. As much as she disliked being around Hibari, she would put up with it if she could see Ryohei.

"The things I do for love." Hana muttered, straightening her chin when Hibari finally turned his steely gaze on her.

"Hana Kurokawa." Hibari simply said, before turning away. Hana rolled her eyes at his usual attitude as Ami watched in slight bemusement.

"Kyoya Hibari." Hana replied, feeling slight sadistic joy in mocking him. He gave her a slight glare that sent a small shiver down her spine.

'Remember not to piss off the psychotic, tonfa-wielding maniac, Hana." She thought.

"So what are you doing here?" Hana finally asked, seeing as Hibari was definitely not going to contribute to the conversation.

"Hm." At his response--or lack thereof--Hana entertained thoughts of taking those tonfas and shoving them down his throat before opening her mouth to try again.

"Um, excuse me, that wasn't very polite." A voice piped up behind Hana. Hana turned horrified eyes on the shy genius who was showing her backbone at a total inopportune moment. Hibari turned his heads towards the blue-haired girl, surprised himself that someone was attempting to lecture him. He stood up straight, staring down at Ami.

"Who are you?" He demanded. The blue-haired girl returned his stare, her mouth set in a firm line as Hana watched in utter amazement.

"My name is Ami Mizuno. It's nice to meet an acquaintance of Hana's. Now please answer my friend's question." Hana had never thought polite words could sound so threatening, but Ami certainly pulled it off. Hibari seemed to be affected by Ami's words too, though he definitely did not feel intimidated. He just now seemed somewhat amused by the waif like girl and the steel behind her words. He hummed again in response before turning to Hana.

"Ryohei is not here." He answered, leaning back against the wall and adopting a disinterested look again.

"Oh," Hana replied dumbly, still a little shocked by Ami's change in personality before she regained her composure, "But that doesn't answer my question."

"The baby convinced me to come to Juuban," At those words, Hibari's lips twisted into a slight scowl before dropping back into nonchalance, "I am merely stopping for food with Kuskabe."

Hana didn't care if she felt slight vindictive pleasure that whatever Reborn had done pissed Hibari off. He deserved it.

"Juuban?! Why are you going to Juuban?" Ami had stepped forward again, a slight frown still on her face. Hibari stared quietly at her for a moment.

"It's none of your business." He replied. It wasn't said with cold taunting, but rather stated like a fact. Hana still bristled on behalf of Ami.

"Well it's my business," Hana declared as she crossed her arms, "You're meeting up with Sawada."

"Correct."

"So tell me what you're doing." At that, Hibari gave her The Look. It was the warning look all of them seeme d to have adopted when they wanted to convey that something was mafia-related, but couldn't speak out loud because someone else was around. Hana huffed, annoyed that she was out of the loop.

"Fine, don't tell me. Just make sure he doesn't do anything dumb. Kyoko's too nice to punch him for his stupidity, but I'm not." With that, Hana whirled on her heel and stormed off, taking juvenile satisfaction in not letting Hibari have the last word. Ami scurred after her, but not before sending a confused look back at Hibari.

"So what do you want to do now?" Ami asked her. Hana turned in surprise, having expected some kind of interrogation. Ami smiled softly, understanding Hana's reaction.

"Like he said, it really is none of my business. Everyone has their secrets." The girl replied to Hana's unspoken question.

"Thank you." Hana murmured, looking down at her feet.

"I don't like to pry." The other girl said as Hana nodded in thanks, before Hana's head jerked up and she glared back in the direction Hibari was in.

"Though I wish I could stick it to him sometimes." She muttered crossly as Ami began giggling.

"What's so funny?" Hana questioned.

"I was just thinking of how I could set my friend Minako on him. She's a giant flirt and would happily drive him crazy for us." Ami answered.

"Tempting, but I don't want your friend's murder on our hands. He's a little too attached to his tonfas." Hana grumbled.

"Minako could handle him. She had good reflexes. Trust me, she's more than what she appears."

"Really now... She lives in Juuban, right?' Hana asked thoughtfully. "Yes, along with the rest of my friends." Ami replied. Hana suddenly grinned, raising a clenched fist.

"Then it's perfect! We'll set the flirt on him and he'll have no idea what hit him, especially if he won't be able to land a hit on her!"

Normally, Hana would be embarrassed about the looks her shouting garnered, but right now, she was consumed with plans of revenge.

"And to teach him some manners!" Ami nodded sagely beside her. Hana just paused and stared for a moment before shaking her head.

"What am I going to do with you..." Hana muttered, though there was a fond smile growing on her face. She looped her arm with Ami's, pulling the girl forward.

"Come on, let's go shopping. I feel indulgent today."

It was definitely great to have normal friends again.

 

* * *

 

Miles away, Ryohei stood surveying the men cleaning up the warehouse. He absently rubbed his knuckles, ignoring the blood that stained the once pristine white bandages wrapped around his hands.

"Oh my, Ryo-chan! You did such a good job! And on our first mission too!"

Ryohei jerked back when Lussuria's face suddenly appeared right before him. The martial artist blinked in surprise before wrapping his arms around the boxer's shoulders.  
"Oh dear, I forgot that you're still new to missions," he cooed, "It'll become easier to handle as time goes on."

For once, Ryohei said nothing, simply clenching his fists and staring down at his feet. Lussuria pulled away to study him, a pensive look on his face.

"Keep that attitude." The Varia captain suddenly said.

"Huh? What attitude do you mean?" The boxer asked, his loud voice drawing the attention of some of their group.

"Keep the emotions and the feelings, dear. It's when you begin feeling nothing that you should worry. People like you will go crazy otherwise." Lussuria explained. He gently squeezed Ryohei's shoulder before walking away, leaving Ryohei to stare after him.

"Keep feeling to the extreme..." Ryohei muttered. He then pulled out his phone and dialed.

"Kyoko? It's me. I wanted to ask you something."

 

* * *

 

Setsuna stared at her phone, indecision plain on her face. She picked it up before letting it go and putting her hand back on her lap. Finally, after a few more moments of back and forth, she sighed and picked up her phone, dialing quickly before she could change her mind again.

"Hello, this is Michiru speaking." The gentle voice of her fellow senshi made a small smile appear on Setsuna's face.

"It's Setsuna." She replied quietly.

"Oh, Setsuna. Want me to get Hotaru?"

"No, that's not necessary. It was actually you I wanted to talk to."

"Oh really," Michiru replied with slight amusement, "How many I be of help?"

"Do you... Do you ever feel like you're playing with fire?" Setsuna asked, slight hesitation in her voice.

"Plenty of times, though I prefer playing with the wind."

"I really did not need to hear that."

"Did you anger Rei? Nasty temper that one." Michiru still sounded amused. Setsuna resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"I did not mean literally."

"Everyone has those moments," Michiru's tone was suddenly serious, before turning back to teasing, "Though I never suspected the great Setsuna to be able to even have those moments."

"I'm human, Michiru, or did you forget?" Setsuna replied.

"But we're not human, not really." Once again she was serious, though she let her words hang ominously this time.

"No, I guess we're not," Setsuna replied after a moment of silence before countering, "But we're certainly more human in this life."

"I guess so." Michiru murmured. There was another moment of silence.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you." Setsuna eventually said.

"It's really no problem, Setsuna. I wish you actually bothered us with your problems more often." Michiru replied, her voice soft and warm.

"I'm not used to revealing my problems." Setsuna confided, leaning her head back to stare at the ceiling.

"All the more reason to do it now that you have the chance." Michiru countered. Setsuna let out a soft chuckle.

"I won't be able to win against you, will I?"

"Never." Michiru laughed as she answered.

"I'm sorry to have to cut this short, but I have to go now, I have a meeting." Setsuna said apologetically after their giggles subsided.

"Alright. And please do remember that we're always here to help you." Michiru's voice was still soft and warm and Setsuna bit her lip at the sudden emotions she felt.

"I will remember." She answered before hanging up. She stared at the screen of her phone for a moment. Her hand clenched around it tightly as she closed her eyes.

"And here I thought it was just a Sky thing." She murmured, her voice laden with sadness.

She stood up and walked to the window, staring out at the bright sky.

"You both said the same thing, didn't you?" She laughed, feeling tears prick at her eyes.

"Right, Luce? Giotto?"

_"Come now, Trista. Certainly you've realized you're not alone anymore! We're all here for you."_

_"I swear to you, Trista, that you will no longer have to suffer alone. I-no, we-will always be with you."_

Her smile faded and a single tear slid down her cheek when a heavy silence was the only thing that answered her.


	8. The Plans of a Hitman and a Pineapple

Tsuna collapsed once again onto the hotel bed, a sigh escaping his lips. He lay there for a few minutes before he heard the door creaking open. He sat up and turned to face his two guardians.

"What happened to you guys?!" Tsuna cried out as he jumped up, staring in horror at his guardian's disheveled appearances.

"Haha, Gokudera was letting off some steam." Yamamoto replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"Tch. It was all your fault anyway." Gokudera muttered, slouching against the wall.

Tsuna sighed again, putting his face in his hands.

"Well, now that we're all gathered, I would like to make an announcement."

The voice of Reborn had Tsuna jerking his head up to stare questioningly at his mentor.

"Huh? What's up?" Yamamoto wondered, also staring at Reborn, who simply smirked.

"Starting today, we will no longer be staying in this hotel." He announced.

"So we're going back to Italy?" Tsuna asked, a hopeful look on his face.

'Kyoko!' The small fanboy in Tsuna cried out with happiness.

"No. The hotel is simply too small." Reborn replied, shattering Tsuna's hopes and dreams.

"So what, we're going to buy a mansion in Juuban and move in?" Gokudera questioned somewhat sarcastically.

"Why yes, that's exactly what we're doing." Reborn declared, another smirk growing on his face.

Reborn looked around at the three boys, savoring their looks of shock.

"EH?!" Tsuna and Gokudera cried out as Yamamoto blinked in surprise.

"Seeing as how more of your Family will be joining us, I took the liberty of purchasing accommodations fitting for you all. Starting today, you will live there. Enjoy the quiet while it lasts." Reborn said, before turning to leave.

"Wait, what do you mean while it lasts? And who is coming to join us?" Tsuna cried out frantically.

"Oh? I didn't tell you?" Reborn said, glancing over his shoulder.

"Tell us what?" Gokudera questioned.

"Hibari's on his way here. I guess it slipped my mind." Reborn said casually, still enjoying the aghast looks on their faces as they stared at him silently.

The silence was promptly shattered by horrified screams.

 

* * *

 

If you asked Lal Mirch what she thought of Setsuna, she'd probably say she didn't know what to think of the enigmatic woman, but she respected her on some level.

If you really pushed Lal Mirch and she was in a good mood that day, she might even admit that she thinks of Setsuna as a friend instead of punching you straight to space.

That's probably why Lal Mirch sat in some girly, little cafe trying to ignore the group of shallow girls whispering and staring at her scars.

"You look like you really want to punch something right now."

Lal glanced up at the amused face of Setsuna and snorted.

"Or someone." She replied. The tanned woman laughed and slid into the seat across from Lal.

"You really should buy something. The sweets here are delicious." Setsuna said conversationally, burying a fork into her own slice of cake that she had purchased before joining the ex-Acrobaleno.

"I don't like sweets."

"Pity."

"So why did you want to meet here?" Lal finally asked, eyeing the store with distaste.

"Hmm... I saw Reborn here. I thought it was fitting that I should meet you here as well." Setsuna replied with a small smile.

"Why am I not surprised you would do something like that?" Lal muttered.

The two women sat in companionable silence for awhile as Setsuna polished off her cake.

"I'm glad you were able to meet with me." Setsuna finally said.

"Why did you want to meet?"

"Can I not just want to see an old friend?"

"You always have an ulterior motive. You never just meet to see an old friend." Lal said as her eyes narrowed. Setsuna looked down, a sad smile on her face.

"Yes, I suppose so. Seeing you again is a bonus though. I'm sorry I was not able to attend your wedding."

"It's alright." Lal said simply.

"I'm happy I was able to design your dress though." Setsuna said, a grin curving onto her face as Lal flushed a little, "I'm just disappointed I missed the Lal Mirch wearing a dress for the first time."

"Ugh, not you too. It's not like I haven't worn skirts or dresses before. It was bad enough dealing with Reborn and Skull. Even Colonello wouldn't shut up about it." Lal said, crossing her arms.

"Now I'm very disappointed I missed it."

"I forgot how annoying you could be."

"Says the one who married Colonello." Setsuna teased.

"Yeah, yeah," Lal said, rolling her eyes, "Now stop avoiding the subject and tell me why you wanted to meet."

At that, Setsuna idly ran her finger around the rim of the coffee cup, staring out the window with a vacant look on her face. Lal just watched patiently, knowing Setsuna would answer in her own time.

"Things are changing." Setsuna murmured vaguely.

"When are things not changing?" Lal countered. Setsuna turned to stare at her for moment before replying.

"Yes, everything changes eventually. Change and time go hand in hand. But that's not what I meant."

Lal's brows raised in confusion, but Setsuna did not elaborate. The ex-Acrobaleno sighed, knowing Setsuna would not confide anything unless she wanted to.

"So things are changing. What does that have to do with me?"

"Nothing really. What does change have to do with just one person?"

"Let's not play 20 questions. Philosophical debates with you always give me a headache." Lal groaned, resting her chin on her palm. Setsuna laughed slightly, leaning back in her chair.

"Very well. I'll spare you."

"Good."

Setsuna returned her to the outside, watching the people pass by the cafe. Lal just watched Setsuna, waiting for her to talk again.

"Tell me this. What would you do if Colonello could return to his original age?" Setsuna suddenly asked, her gaze on Lal. Lal stiffened, her eyes narrowing.

"If it's one of Verde's stupid inventions, I would prefer Colonello to stay far away from that nut job. But it's ultimately his decision." Lal answered, her voice tight.

"And if it worked?" Setsuna asked, leaning forward.

"Then nothing changes. He's just older."

Setsuna leaned back again, this time with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Your attitude is one of the reasons I enjoy your company." Setsuna confessed.

"I'm flattered, but I'm already married."

"Pity. You're quite a catch."

"Sure, I just have hordes of admirers after me." Lal snorted, rolling her eyes.

"You'd be surprised. Colonello was one of your trainees after all. He had to have someone to gush about you with."

"Let's not get into this. I'd rather not think about it. I might puke." Lal muttered as Setsuna laughed behind her hand.

The two women once again lapsed into silence, sipping theirs drinks.

"Things are going to become hectic again." Setsuna murmured.

"When are they not?" Lal replied.

"Most of us do not live with Colonello, so our lives are rather peaceful."

"That's true. So how hectic are we talking?"

"You'll just have to wait and see." Setsuna said softly.

"Of course I will," Lal sighed, leaning back, "Well, I shouldn't complain. I'm used to you by now."

"Oh? And what are you used to?"

"You never giving a straight answer."

"Funny. Reborn said something similar to me."

"Only because he hates someone being more vague and irritating than himself." Lal said, crossing her arms with a snort.

"He'll just have to settle for second best than."

"You might make him cry if you tell him that."

"Reborn crying and Lal wearing dresses. The world must be coming to an end."

"Keep bringing it up and I'll make you cry." Lal glared as Setsuna laughed.

"Then for my health, I'll keep quiet. Now, would you like to leave?" Setsuna asked.

"I thought you'd never ask." Lal groaned, standing up. Setsuna followed suit, a fond smile on her face as the two women left the cafe.

 

* * *

 

Rei stood before the fire, staring intently. A sharp crackle from the flames startled her out of her thoughts. She let out a small sigh and pushed her hair over her shoulders, the shiny black cascading down her back.

"Focus, Rei. Focus." She murmured to herself, reaching up to slap her cheeks lightly.

"I hate feeling like this..." She growled, clenching her fist, "Nothing should ruin our peace, the threats are all gone. Then why am I so worried?"

She sighed again, clasping her hands together and staring straight into the fire.

"Please... Give me some answers."

She pushed her palms harder together, biting her lip.

"Is it Tsunayoshi Sawada? Is it the mafia?" She asked out loud, as if the fire would verbally answer her.

"Do we have to kill again? Isn't there enough blood on our hands?" By now, Rei's voice had risen. She took a few deep breaths to calm down and assumed a serene pose again.

It was one of those rare times that Rei felt too restless to actually be able to focus on the fire and her visions. After a few minutes, she stood up and stomped outside.

"It isn't supposed to happen like this. We defeated Chaos and Galaxia. The next thing should be Crystal Tokyo. Nothing else happens." She practically spat into the night air, glaring up at the sky as if the shining moon was at fault. 

She buried her face into her hands, rubbing her temple to rid herself of the growing headache.

Before her mind caught up to her actions, she had her phone pulled out and Ami's contact info pulled up. She hit call and waited with bated breath.

"Rei?" The shy genius' voice was as calming to Rei as the cool breeze blowing outside.

"How did you do it?" Rei blurted out, still feeling on edge.

"Do what? Rei, is everything okay?" Now Ami's voice was worried.

"Nothing happened. I just- How did you do it all alone? Before the others arrived? Before I joined?" Rei questioned. For a moment, Ami was quiet.

"The novelty hadn't worn off then." The senshi of Mercury replied softly.

"The novelty?"

"The fact that I was Sailor Mercury. I was given a chance to help others, to do things no one else could do. I was given some divine purpose and amazing powers. The fact that I would be basically losing the normalcy of life hadn't registered with me yet."

"When did you realize it?" Rei asked quietly.

"By the time Minako joined. Perhaps before then, but I was in a stage of denial that I was yet to be aware of. I was deluding myself that it did not matter what I gave up, just as long as I was helping others. I gave myself no time to miss it all. When Minako joined us, that was when I truly acknowledged how serious it was all becoming, that there was more going on then just a bunch of magical girls defeating their old enemy. I wasn't a superhero. I was a warrior. I couldn't be Ami Mizuno anymore, at least not in the way I thought I would be." Ami said. Once she started explaining how she felt, it was hard to stop. She took a deep breath after her explanation, trying to push down the wave of emotions.

"It was the same for me. In a sense, I thought I realize it all before each of you. I just never stopped to acknowledge how scared I really was." Rei admitted quietly.

"Fear is healthy. It keeps you alive, just as long as it doesn't overtake you."

"That's a morbid way of looking at it." Rei laughed softly.

"But it's one of the better ways of looking at it. If fear controlled me, I would be dead by now." Ami countered.

"Usagi would bring you back."

"She can't forever."

"You don't know that."

"I don't care to find out."

"I won't let that happen." Rei vowed. There was a moment of silence before Ami answered.

"I don't think I would have been able to do it without any of you."

"You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"I don't mean physical strength. I would have gone crazy by now without any of you by my side." Ami confided, her voice trembling slightly.

"I think we all would have."

Ami didn't answer, the wind brushing up the leaves laying around the shrine the only thing making sound.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you." Rei finally said.

"It's quite alright. It's better to let it out. You usually bottle it up. It worries us."

"I know. I'm not used to sharing."

"Change is difficult, but one should appreciate the positive effects that come from change."

"You sound like Usagi when she really gets into her speeches." Rei teased, a smile curving onto her face.

"Oh dear, I do, don't I?" Ami laughed along with her.

After their giggles subsided, Rei started to walk back toward the shrine.

"I have to go now, but feel free to call me if you need to." Ami said, her voice warm.

"I will. Enjoy your remaining time with your roommate. Good-bye Ami." Rei replied, her voice equally as fond.

As she clicked the end button, Rei turned to stare at the moon.

"What would it be like if I could just remember?" She murmured to herself, before turning sharply on her heel and walking towards her room.

Unbeknownst to Rei, far away Ami sat staring at the Moon as well, her own conflicted feelings shown clearly on her face.

That night, the first two senshi to join Sailor Moon fell into restless sleep plagued by past memories that were to be forgotten in the morning.

 

* * *

 

"Kyoko! Haru!" Chrome cried out, waving towards her friends. Mukuro stood behind her, his arms crossed and his usual smirk on his face as he watched the girls interact. They stood by the Vongola's private jet, their luggage by their side.

"Well it looks like the Sun Guardian decided to join us." Mukuro drawled, eyeing Ryohei with a glint in his eyes.

"I hope Boss isn't too upset with us all showing up." Chrome fretted, wringing her hands together.

"On the contrary, I'm sure he'll be overjoyed to see us." Mukuro replied with a wicked grin, causing Chrome to sigh in exasperation. By that time, the other girls had caught up to them and quickly engulfed Chrome in hugs.

"Hahi! Chrome-chan!" Haru squealed, wrapping her arms around the shy illusionist.

"Are you excited to go back to Japan?" Kyoko asked, more subdued in her enthusiastic greeting.

"Yes, it's been awhile since I last set foot in Japan."Chrome said, smiling slightly.

"I'm extremely happy to be going back home!" Ryohei said with his usual volume, causing Haru and Chrome to wince and Kyoko to giggle merrily.

"I see you still haven't learned what volume control is." Mukuro remarked, his smirk still on his face.

"Pineapple head is going as well? Does that mean Hibari will be there too?" Ryohei questioned, "It would be to the extreme if we all were together again!"

As Ryohei enthusiastically shouted that, Mukuro's smirk seemed to grow.

"What a lovely idea, Sun Guardian. Perhaps the Lightning Guardian and his little girlfriend could join us."

"Mukuro-sama..." Chrome warned, her eye narrowing slightly.

"What fund would it be if we all gathered together and the poor cow wasn't with us?" Mukuro countered.

"Haru thinks it's a great idea! Right, Ryohei?" Haru said, turning excitedly to the resident loudmouth, who agreed loudly.

"Well if it's not too much trouble for Tsuna." Kyoko said warily, eyeing Mukuro with suspicion as well, though he just gave her an innocent smile in response.

"Come on, Kyoko. What's the worst thing that could happen?" Ryohei asked, grabbing Haru and Kyoko's cases and hauling them onto the plane.

"And that's the question that makes everything bad happen." Chrome sighed. Kyoko laughed slightly and patted her friend's shoulder.

"Come, dear Chrome." Mukuro said, holding out his hand to Chrome, who grabbed it and let herself be led onto the place and into the comfy chair next to Mukuro. The others followed suit, nabbing their own chairs before the plane took off. Ryohei instantly fell asleep, snoring loudly. Mukuro pulled Chrome close to him, leaning back to rest as well. Haru sat reading a book, staring out at the sky once and awhile with a wistful look on her face.

Kyoko sat silently in her chair, staring out the window as well, a tender look on her delicate features.

"Tsu-kun..." She whispered softly.

 

* * *

 

"So, mind telling me why exactly we have to move into this house when we could get him a hotel room?" Tsuna asked, staring up at the house that they were to take residence in for the time being.

"Because." Reborn answered.

"Because why?" Tsuna ground out, irritation coloring his voice.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to ask too many questions?" Reborn smirked as Tsuna groaned in frustration.

"Reborn-san, just how many people are joining us? I thought it was just Hibari." Gokudera asked, popping his head out from the front door.

"Hmm... Possibly the whole family." Reborn answered. At that, Yamamoto popped his head out of the door as well, causing Gokudera to fall forward.

"Wait, everyone's coming? That's great!" The Rain Guardian said excitedly as Gokudera turned to yell at him.

"I told you I don't like crowds, baby. Don't expect me to stay here."

Gokudera and Tsuna both froze at the voice, turning with trepidation as Yamamoto began waving with a happy grin on his face. Reborn just smirked.

"Nice of you to join us, Hibari."


	9. The Calm Before the Storm

"Hurry up, Kyoko!" Ryohei whined, resisting the urge to grab the suitcases his sister had insisted on taking care of herself.

"Perhaps you should learn to be more patient, Sun Guardian. No one likes an impatient loudmouth." Mukuro quipped with an infuriating smirk.

"What was that, pineapple head?!"

"Hahi! Ryohei, enjoy the fresh air and the familiar sights of home!" Haru stepped in, hoping to stop an argument.

"Big brother just wants to see Hana." Kyoko interjected with a sly smirk as Chrome giggled lightly behind her. Ryohei began sputtering before making an excuse and hurrying ahead, though the red flush overtaking his face gave him away.

"Kurokawa and Ryohei work surpisingly well together." Chrome observed quietly as she watched Ryohei's back.

"Haru agrees! I never saw it coming." Haru pouted, tapping her finger against her chin.

"Whatever happened, I'm just grateful for it. They're happy together and for that, I'm thankful." Kyoko giggled as the three girls shared small smiles.

"Not to interrupt your talk, ladies, but we'll lose the Sun Guardian at this rate." Mukuro said, an amused look on his face as the girls gasped and began hurrying to catch the white haired male.

As they left, Chrome glanced over at Mukuro, whose gaze had sharpened as he stared around the airport.

"Is something wrong?" Chrome asked, beginning to look around as well. Mukuro turned around and smiled at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder to pull her forward.

"Nothing my dear, just being paranoid." Mukuro soothed.

Chrome relaxed, her thoughts caught up in other things. She never noticed the way Mukuro resumed glancing around nor the figure that stood watching them.

 

* * *

 

_Trista glanced up from her book, watching as the grouchy redhead collapsed onto the couch opposite her._

_"Is there something I can help you with, G?" She spoke politely, knowing the male did not see her as a friend._

_"No." He said simply, his eyes narrowed on her as he stuck a cigarette in his mouth. Trista did not reply, waiting patiently for the man to say what he wanted to say._

_"I don't trust you."_

_"I know." She nodded, not surprised in the least._

_"Giotto seems to and I trust Giotto, so that's why I tolerate your presence. But make no mistake, that doesn't mean I trust you, Trista." He continued._

_"I understand."_

_He took a puff of his cigarette, never looking away from her._

_"Don't break that trust. Giotto, smart as he is, can be kind of naive." He said, letting out a breath of pale smoke._

_"For someone who doesn't trust me, you sure are being talkative." She tilted her head to the side as she spoke, studying the man across from her._

_"Yeah, well, I'm trying to work with you here, because Giotto obviously believes in you and I'm trying to see what it is he sees in you." The man replied, looking lightly irritated. Trista let out a small laugh, which made his glare grow._

_"I believe in Giotto as well." She said softly. At that, G's face seemed to relax._

_"That's why most of us are here." He muttered. For a moment, the two just sat, reminiscing about the blonde boss._

_"This can't possibly be the only thing you want to talk about." Trista finally said, staring searchingly at the Storm Guardian._

_"No," He admitted, "But I don't think you'll answer me either way."_

_"You wanted to ask about the Flames too, didn't you?" Trista asked, brushing a strand of hair away from her face._

_"Would you answer?"_

_"You already know the answer to that." Trista replied with a sad smile._

_"You're pretty irritating, you know that?" G grumbled, though he didn't argue for once. After a moment, Trista sighed._

_"I can tell you this: Yes, I know about the origins of the Flames. They come from a combination of the latent power of humans and a higher power that is now extinct. The origins are nothing you can imagine, nor anything that anyone else has hypothesized. It is better to accept that the Flames are now a part of humans and to leave it at that. Do not go chasing loose ends." Trista said, never breaking eye contact. G was silent, processing her words. He suddenly sighed and stood, stretching out his back._

_"Well it looks like you can actually answer something," He muttered, running a hand through his hair, "I'll leave you to your book."_

_G shoved his hands in his pocket, turning around to leave the room._

_"G?" Trista called, causing him to turn around and stare at her questioningly._

_"I would never hurt Giotto of my own will. I would never want to." She said firmly. G nodded before briskly walking off._

_As soon as the door clicked behind him, Trista buried her face into her hands, her body softly shaking._

Rei came to with a gasp, her arms wrapping around herself as she processed what she had just seen. Usually her visions would not be so vivid and clear, nor so normal. Usually her visions foretold of future enemies, never something so everyday as a conversation between two normal people.

But Setsuna was not normal and the man she had been talking to hadn't seemed that way either. Something was going on, most likely having to do with these Flames the two were talking about. Someone was trying to tell Rei something or even warn her by showing her such a memory. The most likely suspect would be Setsuna herself.

The only question was why.

 

* * *

 

While Fon might appreciate the beauty of Japanese shrines-they were also great areas for training-he usually did not linger long. However, this shrine seemed to call to him, causing the adolescent Acrobaleno to slow his pace and make the trek up the stairs. He walked up to the front, bowing his head and murmuring a soft prayer before straightening at the footsteps growing louder.

Fon was not an Acrobaleno for nothing, though even the most unobservant of people could have noticed the obvious strain on the young woman's face. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes glazed as she wiped the sweat from her face. She was obviously lost in thought, especially since she had yet to notice Fon by the shrine.

"Are you alright, Miss?" Fon asked politely, causing her to jerk up and stare at him with wide eyes. Her brow furrowed again, this time in confusion as she noticed the physically young man. Fon just smiled gently, already used to the shocked reactions his youthful appearance garnered.

"Are you alright?" Fon repeated. The young woman jerkily nodded her head, causing her dark hair to flutter around her. She stared at him for a moment before stepping forward with a polite smile, though it was still strained.

"Hello. My name is Rei Hino. How may I help you?"

At her words, Fon bowed and smiled softly in return.

"My name is Fon. I just came to admire the shrine. It's truly very beautiful here. I hope you don't mind the disturbance."

At that, the woman's smile grew, lighting up her face and accenting her already extraordinary beauty.

"Thank you. I try to take good care of the shrine, though it's sometimes hard to do." She said. Fon tilted in his head in confusion.

"Do you not have someone to help you?" He asked. The smile dropped from her face and once again, a look of strain came across her features.

"No, it's just me." She said shortly, obviously not wanting to talk about it.

"I see. Well, it's very remarkable. I admire your diligence." He replied amicably. Now it was her turn to stare at him in confusion.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you're very strange for a child." Rei said, staring at him with slightly narrowed eyes before she suddenly burst into laughter.

"What is so amusing?" Fon asked with a bemused smile as the woman's giggles subsided.

"Ah, it's nothing. I was just thinking how it was somewhat hypocritical of me to say, seeing how I was considered a strangle child." She shared.

"You do not seem out of the ordinary."

"Some people would take that as an insult."

"You do not seem very insulted." Fon smirked.

"I've stopped caring a long time ago about what people say behind my back."

"A good trait to have. Tell me, how were you considered a strange child?" Fon asked.

"Well, I was the priestess with strange powers and only crows as my companions. Of course people would talk." Rei shrugged.

"Strange powers?" Fon asked nonchalantly, though his eyes were sharp. If a girl had tapped into the latent powers of Flames, she would have to be watched or trained. Fon had seen with his own eyes what had happened when powerful flames were allowed to grow without control.

The young woman's face turned serious, her eyes narrowing slightly on Fon, who kept an innocent and naive look on his face. Then, to his slight confusion, she smiled.

"Just silly stuff made up by panicking people. There was an incident a few years ago and people were quick to point fingers." She said casually, though she never broke her gaze from his.

"An incident?" Fon asked again, trying to pour as much childish curiosity into his voice as he could. While his youthful appearance could be a cumbersome hindrance, it could also be turned into an asset.

"People went missing, but they were all found safely." Rei replied.

"The police must be very good to be able to rescue everyone without harm."

"The police didn't save them."

"Who did?" Fon asked.

"...The Sailor Senshi." Rei finally answered.

"I've heard about them. Do you have amazing powers like them?" Fon asked, once again playing the innocent child.

"Nothing like that." Rei answered, her gaze resting on him.

"Then what can you do?" Fon questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"...Nothing special, just premonitions." Rei admitted.

"That's amazing." He replied, causing the young woman to give a small smile, though it was tinged with sadness.

Fon changed the subject to more normal topics and continued talking with the priestess for awhile. He resigned himself to the fact that he would not be able to pry anymore information from her, especially with the way she watched him, as if she knew he was more than he seemed. After some time, he excused himself and left the temple, aware of her eyes on his back.

Fon had to hand it to her: the girl had a good poker face. She was obviously used to deflecting questions and was able to keep her calm. But Fon was not an ex-Acrobaleno for nothing.

Rei Hino was not normal.

 

* * *

 

As soon as Lal returned, she instantly knew something was up. For one, Colonello had not burst through the door before she could open it, greeting her affectionately like he usually did. He had also been dying to know what Setsuna wanted to talk about, so he should have at least been up in her face demanding answers. When she did find him, he was sitting in the chair, staring off into the distance with a pensive look that made him look older than he physically was. Even though Lal knew Colonello was older, that they all were no longer innocent, the rare melancholic look on his young face made her fist clench.

Lal barely had any time to try to analyze his mood and the reasons for it, before he finally jumped up and raced to greet her. He threw his arms around her and grinned up at her.

"Lal! What did Setsuna want? Man, that woman gives me a headache. So tell me, what did she say?" He fired off. Lal resisted the urge to punch him into oblivion, mock scowling down at him.

"Maybe if you gave me a moment to breathe, I could tell you." She poked his shoulder as she spoke. Colonello just laughed, stepping away from her and allowing her to sit on the sofa.

"Just usual Setsuna stuff." Lal finally replied vaguely.

"That's a load of bull. Setsuna never just calls us to simply talk, kora!" Colonello plopped down next to her. Lal snorted, remembering using the same remark on Setsuna.

"I really don't know what she wanted," Lal confessed, "She said something about everything changing, but wouldn't elaborate. We basically talked about normal stuff, like the wedding. It was weird."

Lal frowned in puzzlement, Colonello mirroring her expression.

"Well, Setsuna's weird, kora." Colonello finally said.

"She did mention something else..." Lal trailed off, fixing a glare on Colonello.

"Have you been talking to Verde?"

Colonello stiffened slightly, though the smile never wavered from his face.

"Who would want to talk to that nut job anyway?" He said vaguely. Lal's glare grew.

"Colonello..." She growled. He sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"Fine, Verde messaged all of us about some solution he found to speed up our aging even faster." Colonello admitted.

"Why the heck would he do that? He'd probably want to slow it down so he could live even longer to continue screwing around with everything."

"...I may have asked him to." Colonello muttered.

"And he accepted to help you?" Lal asked, her surprise at Verde even showing a shred of humanity outweighing the feelings she felt at Colonello's confession.

"Viper may have had a hand in helping, kora." Colonello said with a wry grin.

"How so? Viper wouldn't offer aid out of the goodness of her heart."

"Well I guess being an illusionist at that age for Viper was difficult, as she didn't have much control then. Add to the fact that we retained our original power and she's basically a ticking time bomb." Colonello shrugged, not really caring about the reasons so much as the help he received.

"...I don't want to know how Viper of all people persuaded Verde of all people. What I want to know is why." Lal said softly, her eyes on her husband who suddenly seemed to find the floor fascinating.

"I want to give you what you deserve." He muttered, slight anger and upset in his voice.

"What the hell are you on about?" She asked, completely baffled. His head jerked up, his eyes blazing with emotions.

"Look at me, kora! I'm a fucking kid! I can't take you on dates, I can't kiss you, I can't even make love to you! You deserve the best and I'm useless like this!"

Lal sat there for a moment, her eyes wide with shock. She then leaned forward and kissed Colonello, a blush staining her cheeks.

"I don't care how you look, idiot. Yeah, it's weird sometimes. But when have our lives ever been normal? I've never been the date kind of girl anyway. I don't care about any of that. Having you with me, that's good enough." She mumbled, embarrassed at the words she was saying, though she never looked away from Colonello.

She would worry about Verde and his crazy experiments later. Right now, Colonello needed her.

"...Well, who knew you could actually say girly stuff like that, kora." Colonello said, a grin on his face.

Lal finally stopped resisting temptation and promptly threw a punch at her possibly masochistic husband.

 

* * *

 

Yamamoto glanced over at Tsuna, grinning when his Boss met his gaze.

"Cheer up, Tsuna! You'll get to see Kyoko again." Yamamoto said cheerfully, though Tsuna just sighed.

"That's what I'm worried about." Tsuna muttered. Yamamoto tilted his head to the side, studying his leader for a few moments.

"Why are you worried?" Yamamoto asked, his expression serious.

"Yamamoto?" Tsuna questioned, his eyes widening at his friend's demeanor.

"Why are you worried?" Yamamoto repeated, "Because being around you is dangerous? Because you think this place is unsafe? Because we're here for a reason that we don't really understand? Or because Reborn is acting without telling you anything?"

Tsuna was quiet, staring at his Rain Guardian in surprise. He finally looked down, his messy brown hair falling to slightly cover his troubled expression.

"A bit of everything." Tsuna finally admitted, his hands clasped together as his elbows rested on his knees.

Yamamoto stayed quiet, letting Tsuna decide what he wanted to say or not to say.

"I'm still... scared about what could happen to Kyoko. I don't think I'll ever stop worrying. People know her name, associate her with me, and know that hurting her will get to me. Just being a part of Vongola grants me powerful enemies, let alone being the one everyone is trying to destroy. I dragged her into this and she's going to suffer because of me."

Yamamoto still said nothing, knowing that nothing he could say would change facts.

"And now we're here, in some place that's being corrupted by the mafia all because of power. Shouldn't we leave these Sailor Senshi in peace? Why do we need to drag them into this mess? So we can experiment on them like the Estraneo did with Mukuro?"

Tsuna buried his face in his hands, sighing before looking up.

"But what if they're dangerous? We know basically nothing about them. This whole situation is risky, even if they are heroes who save people. Kyoko, Haru, any of you could get hurt. Why does the Ninth want us here? What does he want us to accomplish? Or is it just Reborn following one of his whims and leaving us in the dark? I trust him, Yamamoto, but I don't know what I'll do if one of you gets hurt and he could have stopped it."

Yamamoto finally moved, wrapping his arm around Tsuna as the shorter boy exhaled shakily.

"I want answers and no one is giving me any. What's the point of being the heir of the most powerful mafia family if I'm always left out of the dark? When I can't do anything but watch the people I love get hurt?"

Tsuna looked up at his Rain Guardian, anguish and fear clouding his eyes.

"What will I do if one you dies? You're my Family. I don't know if I could live without any of you."

Tsuna whispered the last part, as if saying the very words would make them a reality.

Yamamoto never said anything, only pulling his Boss and friend to him and embracing the young man as he cried for the fear that would follow him for the rest of his life.

 

* * *

 

There were many things Gokudera would not admit to, especially with regards to the Tenth. One such thing was that Yamamoto was usually the best option for comforting their boss, no matter how much Gokudera hated it. So when he caught the troubled expression on the Tenth's face, he immediately caught Yamamoto's eye and jerked his head towards the Vongola heir. Of course, Yamamoto was already aware, as he was just as observant as Gokudera, if not more sometimes. So Gokudera had excused himself, deciding to go outside and talk with Hibari and Reborn. Of course, things regarding Hibari and Gokudera together never went as planned.

"Tch. So what are you even doing here?" Gokudera grumbled, eyeing the most unpredictable of the Guardians. Hibari didn't even glance at him, infuriating the silver-haired man even more.

"Hey bastard, I asked you a question!" He growled, his voice rising. At that, Hibari turned to glare at him.

"If you keep making a racket, herbivore, I'll bite you to death."

"I'd like to see you try." Gokudera replied, a sharp grin growing on his face as he shifted slightly into a fighting position.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you two. We have more important things to worry about than the collateral damage you both will cause." Both Guardians turned to Reborn, eyeing him for a moment.

"Fine, I wasn't in the mood to fight anyone." Gokudera relented, crossing his arms again.

"The fight wouldn't have been worth my time anyway." Hibari said, leaning back against the wall.

"What was that, you arrogant ass?" Gokudera yelled, his fist raised.

It was at that moment that shrill, terrified screams erupted through the air.


	10. She's Beauty, She's Grace, She's... Wearing a Mini-skirt?

Tsuna and Yamamoto tore out of the house at the sound of screams, skidding to a stop next to Gokudera.

"What is it?!" Tsuna immediately demanded, lowering himself in a battle ready position. In the distance, there seemed to be a huge dust cloud. Whatever was approaching, was approaching fast. Civilians jumped out of its path, screaming.

"What nonsense." Hibari drawled. Gokudera just sighed.

"Huh?" Tsuna questioned. Then he paused and took a closer look, distinguishing between the screams of the civilians and the scream of whatever was approaching.

"SAWADAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Ah! It's Senpai!" Yamamoto said, laughing cheerfully. Tsuna suddenly felt very, very tired.

Ryohei skidded to a stop in front of the house, throwing up his arms.

"Made it here extremely fast!" He cheered, fist pumping. Everyone just stared at him deadpan, except for Yamamoto, who chuckled, and Hibari, who grimaced.

"Why are you here?" Gokudera demanded.

"Ah! I heard from Reborn that we were all meeting here! So I brought Mukuro and the girls." Ryohei stated proudly, giving a thumbs up, looking around for the young Reborn who had seemingly disappeared.

There was silence for a moment, as Yamamoto smiled and Gokudera sighed again. Hibari looked like he was a second away from murdering everyone here. Tsuna took it upon himself to ask the obvious.

"Where are they then?"

That was when the screaming started again. Except this time, it was of blood-curdling terror.

 

* * *

 

Most people would call Mukuro insane or mad or just plain out of his mind. Chrome was usually of the minority opinion. She thought of Mukuro as eccentric. In a good, creative way.

Today was not one of those days.

"You were using us as bait?!"

Chrome never knew her voice could become so loud and shrill. Though, usually she wasn't this mad.

The momentary lapse in emotional composure was worth it to see the nanosecond of stunned shock flash across Mukuro's face.

"You know I would never let anything happen to you." He quickly soothed, setting up another illusion to keep the strange creature at bay, giving Haru time to help an injured but seething Kyoko.

"I can take care of myself. But you put my friends in danger." Chrome retaliated, her voice once again quiet, but still hard with anger. Mukuro just raised a brow, nodding his head towards the angry future mafia-boss wife as Haru valiantly tried to soothe her.

"It came out of nowhere and hit me! And now I'm going to look like I can't take care of myself and Tsuna will worry and try to keep me inside with onii-san for a whole week before I can finally convince him otherwise and-Let me at it! I could've taken it if it hadn't ambushed me!"

Chrome knew Kyoko was not one to be trifled with, but it was amusing to watch the seemingly delicate girl in action when her rage was directed at someone else. Mukuro too looked amused for a second, as it was entertaining when the normally reserved Sasagawa sibling went off.

"I assure you, I meant no harm to come to anyone," Mukuro continued, serious for once, "But I wanted to figure out who this new enemy was and their motive. I never expected them to attack so viciously and in such a blatant manner. Nor did I expect it to be something like this."

Chrome stared at him for a moment as she set up another illusion to distract civilians, though they were quickly fleeing.

"And I know you can take care of yourself. You can make the biggest, baddest mafia men cry for their mothers."

Chrome gave a soft smile at Mukuro's response before turning to Haru and the still upset Kyoko.

"Is it ok if you look after her for a moment? This thing might back off if I shoot it." Haru said, practically dumping the injured girl on her. She then ran off before Chrome could tell her that putting bullets in things didn't always solve the problem. Mukuro gave his usual twisted grin before running after the trigger-happy brunette, leaving Chrome to lament the mess that was her life.

And then it all went downhill from there.

 

* * *

 

One civilian heavily bleeding, though not mortally wounded, if her angry shouts were anything go by.

Another female civilian, holding a strange trident thing, stood guard over the injured female.

And the third female was currently charging at the monster.

The last civilian, a male also holding a strange trident, was maniacally laughing as he followed the brunette.

Rei hadn't been Sailor Mars in awhile, but she knew civilians should be running from the monster, not towards it.

"Which means they probably aren't civilians." She murmured to herself, watching them carefully, not yet transformed.

Younger Rei would have jumped immediately into the fray to protect them. Older Rei was able to assess the situation and realize that there was something different about them. Not only did they wield strange weapons-seriously, who used a trident of all things?-but there was the fact that they had used some sort of power to set up illusions of all things. If Rei hadn't been there from the beginning, she would have assumed nothing was wrong. But, since she had watched the two trident wielders work their strange magic, she had known it to be fake and the illusions had seemingly crumbled before her eyes. But the worst part was perhaps the realization that those illusions had most likely been weaker ones that they hadn't put too much power into. They had been trying to trick civilians, not a reincarnated Princess of Mars with psychic powers. So, older Rei took the time to assess the situation and _worry._

"I'll be there soon." Minako's voice crackled over her wristwatch. Her voice jerked Rei out of her thoughts and she gripped her Mars Crystal tighter.

"Mars Power, Make Up." She whispered, feeling the familiar rush of heat that accompanied her transformation. In seconds, she stood on the roof in her original uniform. While it may have been best to transform into her Eternal form to deal with an unknown enemy, a part of her was wary of the people attempting to fight the monster. She wanted to hide her trump card from them. Besides, while the enemy seemed to have regenerative power, it was sluggish and slow and didn't seem very powerful.

If worst came to worst, it would be easy to transform into her Eternal form. With that thought in mind, Sailor Mars jumped into the fray.

 

* * *

 

"Tell me, whatever did you do to anger this thing?" Mukuro asked wryly, seemingly unconcerned with the weird creature that wouldn't die.

It had jumped out of nowhere, hitting Kyoko with some kind of black energy that burned her. Haru had been next to her and almost got hit herself, but had been able to jump out of the way, pulling Kyoko with her so the other girl missed the brunt of the attack. Now, though she was trying to take down the thing, she instead began to study it.

It was less of a creature than it was some kind of flaming humanoid shape. Black flames covered every inch of the being, except for the glowing yellow slits that Haru assumed were its eyes. It also had a mouth, though some strange black liquid was dripping from it. It was also making low, keening sounds. No matter what they did, it didn't seem to be harmed and just kept attacking them. The strangest part was how it seemed to be targeting Haru, trying to catch her and completely ignoring any attack Mukuro threw at it.

Perhaps it hadn't been aiming for Kyoko. Perhaps it had been aiming for Haru and merely missed, hitting her best friend instead.

"I don't know..." Haru said slowly, "But it sounds like its in pain."

Mukuro let out a low chuckle at her words, giving her amused look that verged on condescending and made her feel like a child.

"Of course you would worry about something trying to kill us."

"I'm not worrying!" Haru shot back, "It's just been making those sounds since it appeared, but no matter what we do, it doesn't seem to be affected. So if we aren't causing it pain, then what is?"

Mukuro face shifted, taking on an analytical look at her words. He opened his mouth to speak, before their world erupted in flames.

Mukuro instinctively threw up a barrier, shifting so he was slightly in front of Haru. Though the flames didn't reach them, they couldn't see what was happening, only hearing the creature let out a high-pitched shriek. As the flames died down and a figure emerged, Haru felt her jaw drop.

"Well that's new." Mukuro simply said.

 

* * *

 

It was understatement to say that Rei had a lot of pent-up energy. So as soon as she jumped at the flame creature-which, in retrospect, attacking a flaming creature with fire wasn't the best idea, but what could you do when you were the senshi of _fire-_ she let it all out. Of course, she made sure to keep the flames contained, so they wouldn't hit the other two people fighting the monster. But, on the monster, she unleashed an inferno.

As the flames died down, she took in the full sight of the creature up close.

"Where's Mercury when you need her?" She muttered, crossly. At least the creature was in some kind of crouched position, with what was most likely arms wrapped around itself. The sounds it had been making now came out as a shriek that didn't seem to be stopping soon. Sailor Mars still stayed in a ready position, waiting for it to attack.

"Um, excuse me?" A voice piped up behind her. Mars slowly turned to see the boy and girl staring at her, the boy with amusement and the girl with confusion.

"Yes?" Mars asked slowly, wondering why they still weren't running, especially as the Sailor Senshi were here now.

Non-civilian tourists then.

"Why are you fighting in heels and a skirt?" The girl asked, her face scrunching up with puzzlement. Rei paused and stared at the girl, trying to formulate a response.

"There is a monster made out of black flames trying to kill you and you question my outfit choices?" She slowly asked.

"Yes?" The girl replied, staring at Rei as if it was obvious, "While the mini-skirt isn't that much of an issue and is actually really cute, the heels seem like they would impede your ability to fight. It's a strange choice to Haru."

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, the monster chose that time to let out what sounded like a scream of anger and charged at Mars. She deftly jumped out of the way, landing next to the fighting duo. The monster swayed, almost falling on its face from the charge. It slowly began walking towards them.

"Look, you're obviously not from around here, but I've got this handled. This is what I do. So you should take your friends and run." Mars quickly said, jerking her thumb at the two girls farther away watching intently.

"Haru isn't going to abandon you." The brown-haired girl said, aghast. The man just continued watching in amusement, as if he were spectator watching for entertainment, rather than an active participant.

"Like I said, it's my job." Mars snapped back, flames appearing in her hand that she shot at the creature to push it back. The girl let out a squeak, staring at her with wide eyes. The boy's eyes narrowed, losing the amused look.

"Well, what a surprise," The boy finally spoke, his mismatched eyes staring at her intently, "You're a Flame user."

Before Mars could work out the strange sentence, one of the girls called out to them.

"Stop arguing and just work together already!" The orange-haired girl yelled fiercely.

Mars snapped back to attention, turning to the monster. Surprisingly, it had stopped attacking. It's head was thrown back, emitting some kind of call. Seemingly noticing that it had their attention again, the creature went quiet and raised a hand.

"...Ars..." It hissed.

"What?" The brown-haired girl muttered, brows furrowed.

"...Mars..." It hissed again, the word clear now.

"Leave," Mars said flatly, "It's after me."

Without waiting for a word from the strangers, Mars jumped forward.

"Akuryo Taisan!" She called out, slapping an ofuda on the creature. Instead of collapsing or shifting back into a human like she had expected, the creature just let out a shriek and waved its arms wildly.

"And what was that supposed to do?" The boy called out, leaning casually on his staff.

"If it was a demonic creature, it would have exorcised him," Mars replied, staring intently at the flamed being, "If it was being controlled, it would have disrupted the link. This just tells me that this is something entirely new."

The monster reached up to rip the piece of paper off, when a sudden beam of light shot out and hit its arm. It let out another screech as all eyes turned towards an orange figure standing on a roof.

"Oh look, another one." Mukuro murmured blithely.

The orange figure dramatically flipped her hair over her shoulder before jumping down and sauntering over to Sailor Mars.

"I'm a little disappointed, Mars. I expected you to be done by the time I arrived."

"If you've noticed, I've been trying to deal with them, Venus." Mars rolled her eyes, jerking her head toward the boy and girl. The girl was still tense, eyeing the screaming creature while the boy jauntily waved.

"Well, have no fear, Venus-sama is here to save the day!" Venus threw back her head and laughed. However, everyone paused as the creature's voice grew in pitch and fervor, falling to the ground and violently convulsing. The flames around it erupted, as it continued to scream.

"Well that's not good." Venus muttered.

 

* * *

 

If there was one thing Tsuna wanted out of puberty, it was to have a huge growth spurt. As it was, he was still pretty short compared to his companions. This, of course, made it much harder to move through a crowd of panicking people running in the opposite direction.

Ryohei had pushed through the crowd easily enough without breaking a sweat. Yamamoto was close behind him, also not having too much difficulty getting through. Gokudera had let out a string of violent curses and people had given him space.

Hibari, of course, had simply walked through, the crowd giving him a wide berth. This left Tsuna behind, struggling with the crowd as the others got farther away.

A hand grabbing his own pulled Tsuna out of his murderous thoughts towards his Cloud Guardian. He glanced up, meeting Gokudera's determined gaze.

"Gokudera?"

"Like I would leave you behind, Tenth!" His right hand man snapped, pulling him through the crowd. Soon, they cleared the panicking mass, meeting with Ryohei and Yamamoto on the other side. With a nod from Tsuna, they all began sprinting towards the sound of battle.

"Damn that Hibari, going off without us." Gokudera muttered next time.

"Whatever is going on, our priority is to save civilians. If the girls are up there, then I want Ryohei and Yamamoto to cover them and get them out." Tsuna ordered, earning nods from the others.

They rounded another corner, finally coming across what had caused the commotion. The sight before them, however, made them all freeze.

Haru and Mukuro stood up ahead. Next to them were two girls in strange sailor fukus. Before them, on the ground, was some creature covered completely in black flames. One of the girls, the one in orange, held a golden chain that was wrapped around the creature, keeping it from moving, though she was clearly struggling to hold it as it flailed about wildly. The one in red was arguing with Haru.

"Kyoko!" Ryohei suddenly screamed. His voice jerked Tsuna out of his stupor and he glanced around, finally noticing the orange haired girl bleeding on the ground with Chrome hovering over her protectively. Ryohei charged ahead, heading for his sister.

"Kyoko!" Tsuna called out, worriedly, following behind Ryohei.

"Onii-san! Tsu-kun!" Kyoko gasped, looking at them in surprise. They immediately crouched next to her, Gokudera and Yamamoto moving to stand by Chrome. Ryohei helped prop her up while Tsuna clasped her hand. They both began shouting at the same time.

"Kyoko! Who did this to you! I'll beat them to the extreme!"

"Kyoko, what happened?! Where are you injured?! I'll call a doctor immediately!"

"Stop!" She cried out, halting their worried spiel, "You need to go help the others. I'll be fine, but something bad is happening.

"I'll stay with you," Ryohei immediately said before looking at Tsuna, "I'll watch over her, so you go help the others."

Tsuna hesitated, not wanting to leave Kyoko behind. He then felt something squeezing his hand, looking down to see her clasping his hand and smiling brightly.

"Go." She whispered, pulling her hand away and giving him a small shove. He nodded sharply, standing up.

"Change of plans. Chrome, Ryohei, get Kyoko to safety. Gokudera, Yamamoto, you're with me." He commanded, receiving nods from his Guardians. Tsuna ran towards the others, giving a one last glance over his shoulder at Kyoko. Then, he turned, ready to face the enemy who dared to hurt his precious family.\

 

* * *

 

As a group of three boys ran up to join the other two, Venus heard Mars groan next to her, the Senshi of fire having given up her argument with the brunette girl.

"Great, more civilians."

"There's that one over there." Venus pointed out helpfully, noticing a dark-haired boy standing away from the crowd, observing them. The monster had ceased its shrieking and was now trying to stand, causing Venus to swear at the energy it took to hold it, though that didn't mean she wouldn't take the time to tease Mars.

"You're not helpful at all." Mars shot back, tensing as the monster shifted to its knees.

"You're welcome," Venus replied brightly, "Hold it off while I deal with them."

At Rei's nod, Venus turned, letting her Love-Me Chain dissipate, and quickly made her towards the group. To her surprise, she recognized two of them, the silver-haired boy and the dark-haired boy-Hayato Gokudera and Takeshi Yamamoto-from Rei's Shrine. Behind her, she heard Mars call out an attack and the monster cry out.

"Leave," Venus said, her voice authoritative, causing them all to turn away from the battle between Mars and the monster, "This is our responsibility."

"We can help." The brown-haired boy replied evenly, but Venus shook her head.

"You're obviously not from here," Venus replied in amusement, "Or you would know who we are and leave immediately."

"We don't know who you are, but will you tell us after the battle?" The boy asked after a moment, "If you do, we'll stay out of this."

The others glanced at him in surprise, but Venus didn't have time to negotiate. The way the boy worriedly glanced behind her, he must have realized this too. Hearing Mars cry out behind her, she quickly nodded.

"Fine. Now go." She demanded. The boy nodded and quickly backed off, albeit hesitantly, the others following, though a couple were reluctant. Now that they were out of the way, Venus turned back to the enemy.

The creature, whatever it was, had grown in size. The flames around it seemed to burn much brighter. It seemed to be much more powerful now. Venus tensed, preparing an attack.

"Mars, move! Wink Chain Sw-" She began calling out, Mars jumping out of range, when the creature let out an ear-splitting scream and collapsed.

There was a stunned silence for a moment as the flames around the creature disappeared, revealing a black husk below that immediately began bleeding from the amount of holes in it.

"Well that's not supposed to be happen. Usually I have to stab it first to win." Venus broke the silence, scratching her head, as she exchanged glances with an equally confused Mars. She heard the group of strangers murmuring behind her.

"Call the others," Mars replied, her eyes narrowing, "We have a new enemy."


End file.
